Livid
by Descendinglight
Summary: Moriarty becomes inspired by Sherlock's 'pet'; his ordinary. Moriarty decides to obtain one for himself to test the whole experience out. Of course, what he gets is not what he expected. Rose Lare is practically livid. Slowburn Moriarty/OC. TW: abuse.
1. Chapter 1

Jim Moriarty relaxed into his chair as he relished the feeling of the expensive leather. He believed it was from an Italian brand, something minimalist, yet it held the quality of the expensive taste he'd acquired. He supposed his tastes and the sheer amount of materialistic items he had purchased over the span of the years was an indicator of his success...and perhaps something else. Fingers tapping against the desk, he listened to the song blaring through his earphones. _"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"_. The peppermint gum he'd been chewing was beginning to conjure a bitter taste upon his tongue. Tilting his head from side to side,he weighed the option he was considering.

You see, that morning (like every other one) he'd encountered endless emails from clients he'd decided were maybe worth his time. These had been narrowed down from thousands. Hundreds of them came pouring in, creating quite the headache for Jim. _"Please, my wife's a bitch...", "My boss is an asshole", "I need you to kill someone..."._ Blah, blah, blah. It was one of those days. A boring day. Filled with boring people and boring situations. As he sat within his sound-proofed office, located on one of his top floor apartments, he decided that this wouldn't be so. The idea of a surprise assassination being planned was intriguing, yet the sight of someone's head being blown off was beginning to become a mundane and quite frankly, frequent course of events.

 _"Kennedy would be appalled..._ " Jim mused with a slight raising of his eyebrows.

Jim found himself scowling at his boredom. Lifting his custom whiskey glass, he swallowed the liquid as well as the melted ice in one swift movement. In a sudden movement he jumped up in his chair a little, slapping both his cheeks simultaneously with both hands. Jim's dark eyes settled themselves upon nothing in particular. Floating dust particles caught his attention. He supposed he could play with Sherlock some more, he loved their games intensely. His mind wandered to the last time he'd seen the virgin. They'd had a lovely chat while they were at the pool, where he had managed to murder Carl Powers all those years ago. It made Jim giggle, reminiscing on simpler times, that had been _too much fun_. No one had ever even guessed it was Jim Moriarty who killed the popular young lad.

One idea had stemmed from that conversation at the pool. The idea of obtaining himself a little pet of his own. Sherlock's darling little relationship with his own was intriguing. _John_ was so ordinary, so boring. The classic case of a war veteran. The funny little blonde man, so touchingly loyal. If Moriarty could get a pet to be half as loyal as John to Sherlock, only God knows what would happen. The idea was playing within his brain on a loop. The past few nights he had been sleeping even less than usual, his brain a constant jumble of 'maybe'. The idea was becoming more and more appealing. He could imagine it and if it didn't work out, he could always have them killed. He suspected they would get boring quite quickly, a little torture could improve that though. A _distraction_...he was always looking for distractions. Life was too boring otherwise. It'd be so funny...

Jim ground his teeth and nodded to himself, a small smirk appearing on his face. Removing the gum from his mouth, careful not to allow any saliva to spill onto his desk, he quickly threw it across the room, the white and glistening lump landing right before the door. _The perfect trap._

 _"MORAN. NOW!_ " Jim liked to say that he felt bad about interrupting the marksmen who was currently planning an assassination attempt, though he really didn't.

The sound of the door opening sent glee within him. Jim hid his grin as the marksmen's shoe efficiently squashed the gum, removing itself from the carpet. Though, a stain had left. Hmm, perhaps the new pet could clean it. Poor Sebastian didn't even realise, oh well. He'd find it later. The sniper looked alert and ready for action, good. His task was going to be odd. Moriarty glanced at the sunken skin beneath his green eyes, poor thing.

 _"Find me a pet, and I don't mean any animals._ " Jim lazily ordered, with full knowledge Moran wouldn't try and question him if he knew what was good for him. Jim had been bored for the past couple of days, a brewing storm of anger was bound to erupt. Without waiting for an answer, he swivelled his chair to glance out at the grey sky and the tall buildings that were within his view. So many ordinaries. So many boring people within this little city. He wondered which one he'd find.

* * *

 _"Why not this one?"_

 _"Oh, good God Sebastian you really are dull. Look at her! I can practically already tell you her life stor-"_ Sebastian Moran clenched his jaw as he leant the earpiece into his chest, allowing the sounds of Jim Moriarty to become significantly muffled.

Six hours. Six bloody hours of this stupid shit for his boss. Everyone he picked out wasn't good enough. " _She doesn't have good fashion taste", "he has a thing for My Little Pony, tantalising, or should I say tailtilising?", "she's too heavy handed in cocaine, my dear."._ To say Moran was exhausted would be the understatement of a lifetime. Moran had half the mind to throw the small camera device from his collar and tell Jim off. There was a lot more important tasks he needed to be completed.

* * *

 _"I'm so done with this shit."_

That was Rose's final thoughts on her job which she'd just effectively managed to quit- or lose. Her manager was just about as red as a rose by the time she left. A hand sneaking up her thigh was one thing, another was one was on her breast. Without a second thought she'd stormed out of her silly little waitressing job, a backpack over her shoulders. Rose needed a drink with money she didn't have, with friends she didn't know.

Why she had ever come to London was beyond herself. The city was alive yet it was so _boring_. Perhaps the city was really just a reflection of her life. Rose was always bored. Even when she was out drinking or at a party, or even chatting with someone she hoped for something more. On one too many occasions she'd found herself wishing for a terrible thing to unfold around her, like a crime or an earthquake, just so that she could escape for a moment. Of course, she supposed that she should probably bring that up with someone. It was always odd to her though, most of her 'friends' were content with all of it. A relationship was all they needed and desired to be... content, happy? Rose was certain there had to be more to life than that. There must be more. A quick lay by the same person who was most likely cheating on them seemed to make all of the others become over the moon. She had always been terribly envious of the ones who had the ability to travel the world, to sink their teeth into culture, to immerse themselves with strange and alluring people. The strangest person she'd truly met was a man she'd once kept company with in one of those homes she and many others used to... live in. Regardless, he was a distant memory and she briefly wondered if he was even still alive, from the state she had last saw him in, she doubted it. _Very intelligent, that one._

Rose found herself wondering the streets after that occurrence with her manager. There were people everywhere. They wondered like ants. Wishing she understood exactly why these dark thoughts accompanied her so often, she decided she needed a cigarette. Of course, that day was being cruel and she remembered that she didn't have the money at the moment. The thought of going back to her crappy studio to simply lay there until another day passed made her insides cave into themselves. Eviction would probably be pressed within a week.

To slightly escape the stampede of people she glanced at one of the walled gardens on her left, though it was around noon only a few people rested on it. Probably the cold weather. Rose stood still against the crowd that was enveloping her on the busy walk. Peering at the people who occupied the wall that framed the garden full of cigarette butts. The first was a mother and her child, she was attempting to shield the baby from the biting cold. The second was an old man, his leather-like skin sunken and his mouth moved as he muttered to himself. Nope, Rose thought. The last was an obnoxiously tall blonde man, pale skin and fairly conspicuous all-black clothes. He was built well from what she could see. That was not what was intriguing her though. It was the waft of smoke coming from his down-turned face, _was he smoking!?_ The shops adjacent were a mere few metres away. Biting back a grin at the man's dare to risk the chance of being caught by the police in broad daylight, she clutched at the straps of her backpack. As soon as she saw the smoke her mind became foggy with one need. That need was to inhale that deliciously poisonous smoke.

Gathering up the courage, despite the hammering in her chest she slowly walked over to him. Before she had a chance to be too close to him, he looked up as if it was instinctual. His blue eyes regarded her with a mixture of intrigue and...annoyance? Her eyes were mainly fixated on the dwindling cigarette between his teeth.

Rose swallowed the lump in her throat and continued walking towards him, with extra caution now. In a swift movement, a slightly heavy task considering her backpack weighing her down, she jumped to perch beside him on the wall. Before she could even begin to think of how to ask for a puff, he spoke.

 _"You know, most chicks don't try to be so obvious._ " His voice was as rough as she had been expecting, given his look.

Her brows furrowed at what he said until she chuckled at his meaning. _Did he really think she was trying to flirt like this?_ The chuckling earned her with a confused look on his part and suddenly his body shifted towards her so that one leg was perched up on the brick wall and the other was dangling. His full frame was faced towards her now. Bit odd.

Running a hand through her hair and grinning awkwardly she coughed.

 _"Sorry, love but I'm actually hoping to flirt with death, not you_." A cockiness she hadn't allowed herself to utilise within her had just come out to play.

The tall man's eyebrows shot up in amusement at her words, noticing the way her eyes were fixated on the cigarette that was now between his fingers. Sebastian could thank the Gods he didn't believe in for this odd woman. He could practically hear Jim purring through the earpiece.

" _Moran, you should give the poor darling what she wants. Oh, and if you don't get her back here by tonight, I just might consider skinning you."_

 _"Then, by all means..."_ Sebastian held out the cigarette, a relief washing over him that he wouldn't have to walk over the whole city just to find a plaything for Jim.

The woman took it eagerly and he watched as she inhaled. He supposed she was a incredibly beautiful, innocent, Jim was going to sink his teeth into her. Long, curly blonde hair fell in cascades down her back. Her body was very slim, perhaps from malnutrition. As she glanced up at him, he turned his head glancing at her eyes. Unlike the standard of two eyes being the same colour, one of hers was green where the other was blue. Oh yes, Jim was going to have a field day.

 _"Seb-ast- **ionnnnn**."_ The low growl was enough to force Sebastian of ways to arrange this.

 _"I'm Rose Lare, by the way."_

 _"Sebastian."_ There was no need to give her a last name, not yet, in case the mission wasn't t successful.

He watched as she flicked the remains of the cigarette into the garden, his lips twitched with a slight amusement at that. The way she was acting was almost directly opposite of how she looked. Young, blonde and delicate versus her obvious disdain and carelessness beneath her. He couldn't have imagined a better fit for Moriarty's toy.

Truth be told, he had no idea just what exactly being _"Moriarty's pet_ " would include, he knew that it would be strenuous and daunting though. Moran had a feeling that Jim didn't quite realise anyone he chose was going to be as trusting and eager to please as Sherlock's good doctor.

" _Want a ride home?"_

Sebastian really didn't need any special or intelligent skills to realise she was either walking or going on a bus home. The woman, in all honesty, seemed quite flustered from something. He watched her as she glanced up, hope in her eyes. He almost felt bad, that hope would be diminished a few minutes later.

* * *

" _No, no, no! I DON'T CARE! FIND IT. You know, I hear crocodiles are hungry for human flesh this time of year. Must be the season.''_

The loud voice was the first thing that awoke Rose. Someone was yelling. An extremely groggy feeling had overcome her, she simply felt disorientated and weak. There was no energy within her body or her mind. Thoughts could scarcely be formed. She found herself staring up at a white ceiling, skylights dimly turned on to provide a warm glow. _Where the hell was she?_

That one question in her brain seemed to awaken all of her senses in one moment. _Fuck_. All of her memories from the day began to flood her brain. Sebastian? That wasn't the person who'd been yelling. She was trying to piece together things. He had offered her a lift, they'd walked and then...what? In a swift movement Rose found herself sitting up in a black leather lounge, the fabric stuck to the sweaty back of her. In front of her, there was a large fur mat with a tinted glass coffee table. It was scarce of any details or ornaments. Further past that, another lounge was there, empty still. The enormous window engulfed her view, it was open plan style and it was obviously expensive. A vast array of buildings could be seen and the sky was almost completely dark, every building had lights on. It was a pretty sight. This was no where near her apartment building. _Where the fuck am I?_

Goosebumps crept there way up her neck as she felt a pair of hands on either side of her grip the back of the leather lounge. Her heart hammered. If this wasn't prank she had a feeling she may die from fright. Rose glanced up, craning her neck to see the face of an unfamiliar man. A pale milky complexion and thin lips. He was staring out the window, his adam's apple visible.

 _"You said you wanted to flirt with death._ " A pit of dread formed itself in her stomach as she listened to the soft Irish voice, it was dangerous. His very presence was unnerving her.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered down towards her. The fear pooled itself inside of her, anxiety crushing her chest. The dark orbs that stared down at her made her stomach flip. They were so empty. They seemed to embrace her and began to suffocate her. It was as if they had picked her up into a dance she did not want to be a part of. A small smirk played at his lips as his tongue darted out to lick them.

 _"That's good, very good._ '' A pale hand came up to twirl itself, emphasising his next statement. ' _'Well...I'm just speeding up the process.''_

Then, he smiled. His lips began to elongate themselves towards his ears. Glistening white teeth peeked out towards her. None of this was as frightening as the way his eyes were twinkling. It was as if his face was a mask and whatever was wearing it was _peering out at her._

 _''Ooo, look at your eyes. Two different colourrrrrrs. I kinda want them for myself but...scooping always takes sooo long.''_

In one adrenaline-rushed move, Rose tilted her head and bit down into one of his hand. The feeling of her teeth sinking into his flesh was somewhat empowering. The taste of some sort of product that had lingered on his hand had her gagging. It tasted like soap. The bite was hard enough to elicit a growl of pain and the hands to release the pressure on her shoulder. Taking this as an advantage, Rose immediately jumped away from the couch, running to the other one and jumping onto it. Standing higher made her feel safer. She was absolutely frantic. Her heart was hammering inside her chest. She was expecting the sound of a gunshot to occur any second now. As she looked at him, she wanted to scream. He stood tall now, his jaw clenched. Those eyes... they were filled with a deep hatred. Mainly staring at... _her shoes_? _Why the hell was he staring at my shoes?_ Rose glanced down, expecting some sort of trap or something. There was nothing, just the leather couch beneath her. Glancing back up, she felt constricted, was he waiting to make a calculated move?

 _''That leather is worth more than your own life.'_ ' The soft voice was filled with anger. It had been mumbled somewhat under his breath.

Rose stood there, her arms folded against her chest, body shaking and fear rushing through her veins. Exasperated, she replayed his sentence four times within her brain, making sure she didn't hear something that wasn't said. Was he _actually_ concerned with the _couch_ just now? This was incredulous. Was he not aware that he had just had someone _KIDNAP_ her!? Was he some kind of idiot who had just gotten lucky at kidnapping her? What the hell was going on. In a swift movement he brought the hand that she had bit into up to his mouth. He opened his lips and seemed to lick across the wound, a sudden faux-hurt look in his eyes as he looked at her. Quickly, he shoved both his hands in his pockets, a pout on his lips.

'' _You bite hard.'_ ' A smirk played its way onto his lips, the suggestiveness obvious.

Rose wanted to scream, she was so confused and terrified. The tension in the room seemed to be somewhat one-sided, he looked almost calm, as if nothing had even happened. She, however, was on the verge of passing out. It was becoming difficult to breathe as he watched her with a tilted head. It was as if he was assessing her. Everything was silent, the only noise coming from the entire apartment whir of a fridge in the kitchen behind the Irishman.

Suddenly, noise sounded and Rose found herself jumping down from the couch, ready to run. The man hadn't moved a single inch, except his smirk was gone. _What the fuck was that?_ It took her a moment before the whirring in her ear subsided and she could truly hear the noise. Slowly, the up-beat tune was recognised in her mind. No way. There is no way. There was no way that that song was playing in one of the most terrifying situations she'd ever been a part of. Confusion took over her, it couldn't be. Her brows furrowed. The man was obviously angry now but not with her. He still hadn't moved but his eyes were full of rage and his lips were pursed, almost making it seem as if he had none. The sound was coming from him. With adrenaline still alive In her body she begged the question.

 _''Is that the **Bee Gees?** ''_

* * *

One of my first Sherlock fanfics! Please review and give me feedback. Thankyou so much!


	2. Chapter 2

The song continued to play. The unmistakeable tune of _Staying Alive_ blared out from the man's pocket. Truth be told, had she been in a completely different setting with a completely different man, she may have started to dance or sing along. The whole moment was unlike anything she had ever been apart of. There, a guy who organised her kidnapping, had a Bee Gee's song as his ringtone. God, save me.

He hadn't responded to her question, in fact he hadn't even responded to the presumable ringtone coming from his pocket. The only thing that had changed since its beginning was that his eyes had drifted away from her and to the lights of the buildings that could be seen through the window behind her. They were still terrifying and they held a rage that sent shivers down her spine. His lips had pursed themselves, almost making it appear as if he had none.

The lack of reply had caused an awkward tension in the air, not to mention the lack of responding to the call. The tension was so thick (only for Rose) that she could have sliced it with a knife. It crawled over her skin. Her head was beginning to form a splitting migraine. There they both stood, one full of anxiety and confusion and the other; full of rage.

In one swift movement he pulled the phone from his pocket. She breathed a sigh of relief as the shrill ringtone ceased, easing her headache. Rose hadn't had enough time in her adrenaline-filled mind to look at him properly. All she had been occupied with was his eyes. The clothes that he adorned were simply put; beautiful. She could tell, through her eye for fashion, the material and colourings were from an expensive brand. His cuff-links, though far away, were sparkling at her. The suit and suit jacket were of a navy blue colour, his dress shirt white and his tie black. They were fitted to his person perfectly and she had no doubt they were custom-made to fit. An odd surge of jealousy bubbled inside of her, this wasn't the time. He was conventionally attractive, undeniably so. The suit making it even more apparent. A real American Psycho, or should she say Irish?

 _"Good, very good. Bring it to me tomorrow. Don't take you r tiiiiime."_ The last part was sung out in a stream of high pitched nonsense. It almost matched the pitch of his ringtone.

The next moment that occurred had always baffled Rose. Why she'd thought it was a good idea she'd never know. While he was still on the phone, she felt herself jolt into action. The only way to get past his person was to run and jump over the couch. She could do it. She was sure she could.

She was almost there. _Oh my god, I'm gong to make it._ Her shoe collided with the leather of the couch and she felt her heart leap with hope. _Yes_. She could see the kitchen.

In one heart-stopping moment a hand snaked around her waist, crushing her. It felt like a snake constricting itself around her. The bones and organs beneath the skin felt as if they were being punched. She was certain there would be terrible bruises. Screaming out at the excruciating pain she felt her head hit the arm-rest of the couch. The Irishman's figure pressed her down, his hips collided with her, pressing down forcefully so that it would hurt. It did, almost as bad as her waist. She lay frozen, his arms were beside her head.

As she looked up at him she felt her heart stop. His face was twisted up into a snarl, those dark eyes keeping her still. He was suffocating her.

Rose jumped back as his face became even closer to her. It was a scene from a nightmare.

 _ **"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING!"**_ His face tilted mechanically while he yelled, his eyes were full of madness. They were wide and his mouth was slightly open, an odd and sick smile on his face. His voice had changed from calm to something akin to a storm. It was terrifying.

Rose had stayed there, frozen in place. Her eyes were as wide as his and hers were filled with frantic terror. Her waist and hips hurt so bad she was stopping herself from crying. _You're not leaving? Like hell._

 _"No, no. You're not leaving. Not ever."_ His voice had suddenly returned to normal, but he breathed "ever" into her face with a snarl.

He was like a rabid dog. He stared back into her eyes with ferocity. His chest was heaving as if he couldn't contain his rage. In one fluid movement, he stood from the couch. Rose's eyes followed his every movement, only able to slightly grasp at the relief- both physical and emotional she felt at his distance. Her heart was hammering so loud she was sure he could hear it.

He began to smooth out his suit with his hands. Adjusting his tie and then slicking back his hair. He sighed dramatically. This _couldn't_ be real. What kind of deranged person was he!? Rose was in danger, terrible danger. Why had he had her kidnapped?

Pain was all over her body now and she couldn't bring herself to move. She wanted to crawl up in a ball. She couldn't, though. He was watching her. His eyes weren't looking away or even blinking.

The sound of his neck cracking as he rolled it brought her back to reality. Then, all was still. Neither of them moved. Neither of them made a sound. It was a stare-off. Rose was sure of it. Not like those silly games she used to play. He was trying to assert the fact that he was the most powerful one in the room. That what he said was true.

Rose kept her eyes opened. The dimly lit apartment made it seem as if the Irishman's eyes were truly black in colour. Like two pits within sockets. He had hunched his shoulders slightly and his head was slowly moving forward while his eyes remained un-blinking on hers. The sight was terrifying. It was something out of a true horror movie. This all was.

Rose was admittedly surprised at her ability to continue staring. His eyes unnerved her so much she had assumed she would look away immediately. She didn't though. They were playing the game and she was determined to _win_. Rose didn't fail to notice the way his eyebrows shot up in surprise, only briefly. No one probably challenges him. No one. She wouldn't doubt it if he had them killed, so why was she doing it?

Oh no. Please no. It was already building up in her right eye. The green one. It was so irritating. Some kind of dust had found its way into her eye. He could tell this too. Those thin lips of his began to form into a barely-there smirk. _Damn him_. Rose's eye began to water and she had no choice but to simply blink it all away. As her blurry vision began to clear she saw he was grinning triumphantly now. Prick.

 _"Now that that's settled... MORAN."_

Almost immediately, she head a voice come from down through the kitchen. She recognised it. Anger built up inside of her and she sat up, peering over the couch. You fucker.

There, _'Sebastian'_ stood, arms folded over his chest and looking at the man. His jaw was clenched, he was angry and exasperated. What right did he have to be _angry_!? Did he not see me on the couch. He was the one that kidnapped her. Sebastian didn't even pay her any mind. Rose was enraged beyond belief.

" _Tie her up at the table. Opposite to me._ " The Irishman's voice was lazy and nonchalant about his request.

 _Tie me up!?_ Rose nearly considered making a run for it again but she knew there was no chance. Not with two of them in her way. It all seemed to happen so quickly, a pair of large hands gripped her forearms and hoisted her up over his shoulder. Rose cringed at the feeling of her bruises having more contact, it hurt so badly. They were walking past the kitchen. Each little jolt and step was causing his shoulder to collide with her hips and waist. It was tempting to scream, but for what? As she opened her eyes while they were walking, she caught sight of the Irishman. He was walking behind them with a cocky swagger. Each step he made seemed to be entirely graceful. How could someone so terrifying be so graceful? She didn't miss the grin on his face either, it had turned even more sinister. He was fixated on her face, his eyes searching her.

They suddenly entered another slightly less dim-lit room. Glancing up she saw more skylights. She was suddenly dropped to her feet, a gasp coming from her. One of Sebastian's arms held her in place while he fidgeted with something. She wasn't interested though. She was too fixated on the enormous black marble table before her. It surely could fit at least fifteen people on it, if not more. All of it was spotless, no scratches and it was polished to perfection. It had matching chairs and they all had white satin cushions adorning them. Her mouth was agape at the sight.

A deliberate screeching of a chair brought her back to her present situation. The dark haired man had assumed his seat at the far end of the table, the head seat. There was a bowl in front of him, placed over a grey mat, filled with some sort of fruit. He was watching her again. His head was tilting side to side, as if he were a shark swimming or a snake dancing. Sebastian grasped her again and forcefully shoved her into a chair, the one directly opposite him. At least there was a far distance across the table.

Rope encompassed her wrists to tie her at the arm-rests and soon her ankles were tied as well. Rose waited until Sebastian was in full sight of her to truly glare at him. He showed no qualms though, he merely stared straight ahead at his...boss? As she began to fidget the rope started to burn her wrists. There goes that idea.

Since there was no response from Sebastian, she managed to force herself to look at his boss. He had a grape pinched between his fingers, he was slowly applying pressure until it punctured the fruit. It's juices ran down his hand and onto the table. He popped the fruit into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he looked pointedly at Sebastian, an amused smile on his face.

 _"Off you pop."_

Immediately, Sebastian left the room. Rose couldn't be sure but she thought she heard him mumbling under his breath. Something like " _annoying Iris prick_ " and _"assassination"_. She didn't want to know. Rose almost hoped Sebastian would either get in trouble with his boss or he would hurt his boss. At least she could find a way to enjoy the murderous thoughts she was having about the both of them.

 _"Do you know my favourite similarity between grapes and humans?"_

The question almost had her laughing. What the fuck was this? His face was relaxed, yet his head was turned sidewards, waiting for an answer. Did he actually expect her to reply? Remembering when he yelled, how terrifying it was, her mouth went dry. There was no chance to escape now. Good one, Rose. She was too vulnerable to not reply, she was quite literally tied up at the moment. Fuck.

 _"I don't know... they bleed?_ " It seemed like a similarity an insane man would enjoy.

An amused and boyish grin had formed its way onto the man's face. Jim hadn't thought of that. This little woman was already proving to be quite the handful.

I'm

 _"No... nice try, though. My favourite similarity is that you can -_ " He paused, picking up a grape and pulling back a piece of its skin with his fingernail. "- _skin either of them and they die."_

A feeling as if a cold ice bucket had been poured over her body enveloped her. She had no doubt he wasn't lying. The way he had said it was so casually. Skinning... people? Though he was being truthful, she had no doubt, he was also trying to scare her even more. Why else would he ask? In one daring moment she decided she wasn't going to accept that.

 _"It's good thing you're a human, then..."_

Slowly, very slowly, a menacing smile formed on his face. His fingers gripped the edge of the table, she could tell his knuckles were going white. An odd growling sound was coming from within his chest, like a feral cat. It took her a moment to realise that the growling was actually laughing. A humourless laugh. One that she could never try to replicate. It was _terrifying_. His body was shaking lightly while he chuckled. Suddenly he stopped, his head shaking from side to side.

" _No, no. Don't try to threaten me. I mean, I know I'm a gentlemen but that won't stop me from sowing your mouth shut."_

With that, he threw a grape down the table lazily, making small noises as it hit the expensive surface. Rose watched it slowly come towards her person, eventually bouncing into her lap. At least she now had something to fixate her eyes on other than him. It was bruised, withered and small. It was a bad one. One that she knew would taste bitter and inferior to the others. Rose scowled as she realised what he was doing. He was implying that she was just like the grape. It was another game. Rose has had enough.

 _"Who the hell are you?"_

There was no way he could be a random guy from the street. All of the expensive things he had were an indicator of how rich he was. Rose also didn't believe he lived in the apartment permanently. The walls were devoid of any decoration and only minimal furniture could be seen. He spoke of murder like it was nothing, as if it was a simple gesture everyone joined in on. He was a criminal, even before she had been kidnapped. Though, he seemed much more dangerous than most criminals she'd known. He was so much more... demented. It was as if he wasn't really human. Perhaps he was a psychopath.

 _"Oh, you know. Budding rap artist, tryna' make it in the big world and all that. Eminem doesn't know what's coming."_ His pale hand came up to make a 'West Coast' sign.

Rose couldn't help the chuckle that she tried to suppress. Sarcasm was obviously one of his strong suits- no pun intended. She was mostly chuckling at the absurdity of the situation and his personality. It was screwed up.

 _"You're a criminal. You murder people, or you have them murdered. What else?"_

That seemed to be the right thing to say. His downcast eyes flickered up to meet hers. Intrigue swam within them, they were wide with curiosity and excitement.

 _"Pray tell, have you ever known anyone you wanted to...disappear?"_

 _"Yes."_ **_You._** Rose didn't say that out loud though. The conversation was getting interesting now.

" _Pay me a million and you'll never see them again._ " His eyes glanced down to the bowl of grapes and then back up to look at her. _"Jim Moriarty, consulting criminal. That's what I do, for smaller... clients."_ Moriarty grimaced at the term clients.

So many clients. The small ones were the worst. All of their enquiries the same. All of their stories the same. All of them were so boring. Especially the small ones.

Rose allowed herself to press her back against the chair. Her heart was thudding in a steady pace, her pulse in her ears. It was there that she truly realised just how dangerous he was. Consulting criminal. He had people murdered, taken away, tortured for money? It made sense, given his expensive materialistic items. What could he possibly mean smaller clients? What did the big ones arrange? Her mind was reeling. Was he responsible for big crimes? The ones she bore witness to on the news? Terrorist attacks? Sebastian's comment on _'assasination'_ made sense now. Horrifying sense.

 _ **Jim Moriarty.**_ The name was dignified. If she was to hear it spoken after this moment she knew that it would represent absolute danger to her.

One thing still wasn't making sense to her though. If he did all these things for people with money, why was she there? As far as she was aware she hadn't pissed off anyone enough to leave her in the 'lovely' charge of Moriarty. Perhaps her manager, Bryan, but that had only happened in the morning and he didn't have a million to his name. Rose flickered her eyes up to Moriarty's face, he was now looking away, his eyes weren't focused.

 _"If.. if you do these things for a lot of money-"_ Rose attempted to ignore his disgusted facial expression at her saying a million was a lot of money, _"then why am I here?"_

The question hung in the air. Moriarty made a mischievous chuckle, popping a grape in his mouth and chomping down violently. It had been the wrong thing to say somehow. Dread began to creep its way under her skin as he stood from his chair, taking short strides towards her. The way he moved was almost mechanical, he was moving with a purpose yet his eyes held none. Rose had been fidgeting the whole time with the rope around one of her wrists. She was attempting to wriggle her way out of them. She knew she was bleeding, the small pieces of rope were digging more and more into her skin. Rose was so close, one more twist and she may have be able to let her hand free. She managed, only just, in the last few steps Moriarty took towards her she finally wriggled her hand free. The pain was unbearable, as if her wrist was on fire. Adrenaline pumped through her. Think logically, Rose.

He would have a gun on him. A criminal who made people disappear would have to have some kind of defence on his person, even with his security. Moriarty was becoming painfully close. The scent of peppermint and cologne invaded her nostrils. He was looming above her, staring down. His crutch was practically in her face now. Oh, how she wish her leg was free instead of her hand. She would _love_ to knee the bastard again.

If he was carrying a gun it would be along his waistband somewhere. Rose beamed brightly up at him as he watched her, catching him off guard slightly. What was she staring at? Rose took this opportunity to dare. Her hand shot out and fumbled until she grasped the cool metal of a gun on his right side. His body twisted in surprise and she felt the expensive fabric of his dress shirt against her knuckles, it was like silk; it probably was silk.

 _"Whoa-oh! Ladies and gents we have a winner!_ "

She pulled the gun out from its place and pointed it directly onto his stomach, pressing as hard as she could. His facial expression was odd. Instead of being frightened or scared he looked…excited and surprised. A smile was forming on his face, etching its way up like a drawing. He needed to be locked up.

 _"If you wanted to touch me, darling, you only needed to ask."_ Moriarty's drawl sent rage within her.

 _"SHUT UP!"_

Rose was seeing red, everything came washing into her. It wasn't just the occurrence of the day she'd had. It was everything, everyone. Her whole entire life. She was tired, so tired of being the victim of everything. Rose wanted to be the winner for once.

She looked up to her kidnapper's face. The expression was still one of excitement and amusement. Moriarty's eyes were shining much more than she'd seen them previously. He was probably getting off on this. Did he _want_ her to shoot him? She hated him. God, _she hated him._ Why was he doing this to her?

Before she had time to even process what she was doing, her hand flicked off the safety. Feeling the trigger and the weight of the gun empowered her. Digging the gun harder into his stomach, she held her breath. Goodbye Jim Moriarty. Rose pressed her finger down on the trigger and then –

 _Nothing._ A simple click. The gun was empty.

Moriarty didn't waste any time going in for the kill.

* * *

 **Thank you so much to the reviews/follows I received for the first chapter, they were incredibly kind. I do intend to place more Moriarty and Sebastian scenes in this one. Also, just to note, I am attempting to write Moriarty's character as deranged as I see him. Therefore, nothing about Rose and himself will be entirely healthy or normal and there will be a lot of abuse in later chapters. Please let me know whether Moriarty is too OOC or not, I would appreciate any feedback I can get! Thanks again.**


	3. Chapter 3

The feeling of nails scratching down her cheeks was the first thing she remembered after the gun hadn't fired. Her flesh was being peeled back by fingernails, the stinging sensation making her yell out. Then, it was hands around her throat. Her heart fell into her stomach as the chair began to fall, her body leaning backwards with it. As it hit the ground, it collapsed under both Moriarty's and her own weight. The wood crunched beneath the both of them. Large splinters had plunged into one of her thighs, eliciting a shriek from her. There was so much pain. So much adrenaline. While she attempted to escape from underneath his clutches, she realised throughout the chair breaking she had been freed somewhat by the rope. She could move both her arms and legs. Before she had a chance to act, pale hands wrapped themselves around her throat. Moriarty's thumbs pressed into her, crushing her windpipe. Rose couldn't comprehend the sounds she was making, terrible, struggling sounds.

Her hands frantically shot up, trying to grasp onto something tangible. She managed to grasp the neck of his dress shirt, tugging it down until the sound of buttons falling loudly on the floor. Moriarty's teeth were bared at her now in a snarl, his eyes were as frantic as her own. He was ready to kill her. She knew it for sure.

Rose moved one of her arms away from his shirt. She was becoming weak. His hands had pressed even harder down onto her windpipe. The entire room and Moriarty's face was becoming blurry. Ah! Her hand grasped onto something hard. It was one of the legs from the chair. Having no time to breathe in, she grasped it above Moriarty's head. It came down in a sickening crunch against the back of his head and immediately the pressure from his hands relieved itself. Air came rushing in as she gasped, coughing and spluttering. She was bleeding and bruised in various parts and barely had the energy to do much else but breathe. Rose felt herself fall backwards until her head hit the carpet, amazingly missing the broken pieces of the chair. Her head lulled to the side. Moriarty's body lay directly beside her, his arms and legs were sprawled out. His face was turned the opposite way but through the thick tandrils of black hair she could see blood oozing and drying. It clung to the strands. So he really was human after all. It was an odd sight, knowing how dangerous he was. He was still and silent.

Had she killed him? A wave of satisfaction motivated her to move. This was her chance, even if she wasn't dead. In a split second she forced herself onto her knees and grasped the edge of the table to hoist herself up. The pain that welcomed her from that action had her almost fall all over again. Her wrists were screaming and her neck was so sore it was difficult to move. Not this time. I'm going to escape this.

Her legs bolted faster than they ever had, she had no idea where she was going. As Rose was met with the sight of the kitchen, she turned left, down a long hallway. There were no lights on but she could see a faint light glow at the end of it. There was only one way to find out. Her heart was pumping and the extra adrenaline made it easy. Almost there. As she ran into the light, she realised her mistake. Moriarty wasn't the only one in the apartment. Another lounge room. One as devoid of character as the other, except for the blonde figure standing above a pile off papers and blueprints. It was too late. Her shoes had made too much noise. Sebastian's face turned towards her. Blue eyes were wide in surprise but she could tell he was tired. His large forearms were crossed over each other in front of his chest. As he glanced at her injuries and her frantic stare, he swore.

 _"Please, just let me go. That all I, all I want."_ Rose was barely able to form a sentence.

Legs feeling like they had sandbags tied to them, she collapsed on the hard marble tiles. Her vision was becoming blurry again and everything was numb, the pain she had felt moments ago was gone. Footsteps coming towards her set her heart into a panic yet she was unable to move.

 _"Jesus."_

Sebastian Moran had been faced with difficult situations in his lifetime. Murders, arrest. Nothing prepared him for this. How had a random girl off the street been able to clock one on Moriarty's head? The sight before him was almost amusing. Why did Jim even attack her? It wasn't like him to get his precious hands dirty. Jim had been knocked out cold by the leg of the chair. Jim had been knocked out by someone he would call "ordinary". It had Sebastian chuckling. She'd done a number on him too. Blood had matted Moriarty's hair and he was almost certain there'd be a rather large bump on his scalp. The kid was in for it, though.

 _Cold_. It was cold when Rose awoke. Goosebumps had travelled down her skin. Then the pain. Every inch of her body ached in ways she didn't know were possible. The room she was in was so dark it was difficult to see much. Odd scents empowered her smell, a mixture of copper and something stale. The walls were grey, she could tell that much. The second thin she noticed was that she was unable to move. Glancing down, she saw her forearms were held securely in place with metal cuffs and she was sitting on a chair. Wriggling, she found it didn't move an inch and her legs were also cuffed to the legs. God, why? Inhaling deeply caused her to splutter out saliva. Rose's face contorted into a look of disgust, a comical grimace forming on her face. Yuck. Why was the taste of salt on her tongue? The flavour of it danced in her mouth. The grimace she had made elicited an odd sound that came from in front of her, somewhere in the darkness. . The sound was akin to the sound of a lion growling lowly. The echo of it within the room made it sound even more sinister. It had Rose freeze, her heart stopping just a little. Everything was so dark, shadows were bleeding into each other. Rose's eyes were squinted now, searching for some kind of source for the sound.

The events from the fight with Moriarty replayed themselves within her mind. It was too much wishful thinking to hope he was dead. Sebastian, no doubt, would have been the faithful one that put her in whatever room she was in. Rose cursed herself. The escape had been so close. Memories flooded her brain of Moriarty's terrifying face while he snarled and attempted to take her life away with his hands. Stephen King couldn't have written a more sinister scene.

Her heart was pounding. _Where was he?_ She continued to peer out into the darkness, searching for the sadistic man. He was trying to scare her and he was succeeding. Something about not knowing his position made it all the more worse.

 _It was another game._

The fingers that suddenly brushed briefly against the back of her neck caused her to jump uo as far as possible given the cuffs around her arms. The edges of them dug into her arm. More goosebumps appeared across her skin, like a spider had ran across her back. Her heart was thudding against her chest and it was begging to escape. She was well aware her breathing was laboured, forced. When she felt his cheekbones against her own she whimpered, the odd feeling of cool flesh against flesh was unnerving. His face was pressed right up against hers, the same way she pressed her face to glass when she was a child.

 _"Apparently not many apartments have torture chambers.._ " The Irish voice had her on edge. The word 'torture' was emphasised due to his accent. His face turned slightly inward so his breath travelled across her face.

Rose could feel against her temple each time he moved his lips to speak. His cheeks grew more pressure against her own as he smiled. She couldn't see him, not really. His face was simply a flash of pale flesh that she could only see from the corner of her eye. It annoyed her that she was so frightened whereas his voice indicated that he was calm, almost bored.

In one moment he was pressed up against her face and in the next, he was a few feet away from her, he shifted his weight to one foot. Rose felt a surge of satisfaction throughout her body as she looked at his face, he looked tired. Good. Circles beneath his eyes made him appear much older than he had looked before. Moriarty didn't look as well presented as he had. He was looking around the room, a quite bored and uninterested look appearing on his face. A grimace had settled there. For some reason he was nodding to himself, perhaps agreeing with his next statement? His eyes, barely visible in the light, flickered to her own.

 _"I just think that's bad real estate."_ Moriarty shrugged carelessly, placing both hands in his pocket, rocking his legs back and forth.

It was then that Rose noticed the pale thing in his hand. It was a small case, a quite expensive looking one. Leather, maybe. This was Moriarty, she figured he wasn't just holding it as a fashion accessory- then again.. No. There was a reason he was holding it with her in the room. What was it? A set of knives? Some kind of serial killer device? It held something important in the situation.

 _"Good. You're smart for an ordinary. Though, there's nothing worse than a smart ordinary. So much wasted potential."_ The tone of his voice was somewhat disappointed and he used his hand to emphasise 'potential'. Rose didn't fail to notice that he was fixing his eyes over her figure as well as her face, a look of disdain across his own.

Rage like fire was burning in her blood. It was practically boiling at the surface. Her face heated up involuntarily and she wanted to call him every name under the sun. She didn't, though. Rose had a feeling she wouldn't survive it. Besides, it was another challenge. Rose could tell by the way he was studying her with a grin, practically waiting for the moment he could subtly boast about winning. The salty taste in her mouth was becoming irritating, it was so insistent against her tongue that it was difficult to swallow.

 _"This is your file. It took a long, long time for them to get it to me. It might be a little specked with blood. Moran wasn't as clean as usual."_

Clean. There was nothing about a murder that was clean, was there? Oddly, Rose didn't feel any remorse at the fact someone died over giving the file to Moriarty. Rose was much more interested in the file itself. Was it her health record? Opening her mouth, she ran her tongue against the back of her mouth in an attempt to get rid of taste of salt.

"File, of what?"

 _"Everything. Anything. It could have your first pet, your biggest tragedy, and maybe even the first time you had a little play between the sheets."_ Moriarty's eyebrows shot up as he said this, a look of anticipation on his face.

 _What the actual fuck_? Her first thought was how could anyone obtain a file like that and then she remembered who he was, what he did. If he had someone murdered for the simple reason of taking too long to deliver a file, obtaining it would be easy for someone like him. Not to mention, he could always pay them off. Why was he doing this, though? She already knew her life story, at least most of it.

Moriarty stared down at the folder, licking his lips as if it were a slice of cake he was about to devour. Agonisingly slowly, he began to unzip it. The sound was shrill against the walls of the room. Out before him, a thick paper booklet was in his hands, the folder was dropped to the ground. That was odd. Given his obvious love for expensive things, why would he drop it? The sheets of paper had her on the edge of her seat as he flicked them open, he ran his thumb across his bottom lip.

 _"Rose Claudia Lare. Age twenty-three, so young. Single. Parents, Tom Lare and Lydia Lare deceased. Oo, sorry."_ Moriarty had conjured an over-dramatic grimace on his face, his pale hand going to his "heart".

Rose was not bothered, though. Her parents had been less than suitable. Truth was, she had welcomed the idea of both of them dying when they had. . This bothered Moriarty, he's said it to get a kick out of her and she was more than happy in not reacting. The sound of paper being aggressively flipped through interrupted her thoughts. Moriarty's face was one of accusation now, looking at her.

 _"Who did you have clear it?"_ Soft and quiet, a mere mumble from the deranged man. It had Rose wondering If he was speaking to himself. Moriarty faced down towards the papers, an angry gleam in his eyes.

The helplessness of Rose's next situiation was almost comical. Moriarty moved as quick as a fox, the papers fell in tumbles of elegant white. Soon, he was hidden in the shadows again. What was this, batman? Then, she heard the sound of something scraping and the slosh of a liquid. Perhaps it was water? No. As Moriarty came into view again, she saw his hands had gripped a rectangular plastic container. It was blue in colour. The steady pace of his shoes clicking against the hard wooden floor made the wait even more agonising. Again, the way he moved was terrifying. His face displayed no emotion once more. His thin lips were set into a natural pout and his eyes had become dead, emphasised by the dark creases beneath them. As he got closer the scent of salt water overpowered her.

In one quick tip of the container, the contents of the bucket washed over her arms – in particular (Moriarty's tactic) her lacerated wrists.

 _"AHHHHHH!_ " There was a shrill and ear-splitting shriek.

Rose bit so hard down onto her bottom lip that it began to bleed into her mouth, , leaking the flavour of copper. The sour liquid burned her wrists, her body contorted itself in different ways, the pain nothing arms attempted instinctively to break free from the cuffs, to let her hands rub at her wrists. The lacerations on her wrists were so deep that she could practically feel each piece of salt moving against the exposed flesh. The cool air did nothing but make the stinging from the liquid even more prominent. Tears fell naturally from her eyes now, sliding down her neck as warm droplets against her exposed skin. The stinging was only getting worse and it was then that she recalled the salty taste in her mouth from moments ago, now replaced with copper. _.Asshole._

 _''Oops.''_

Rose looked up with both her green and blue eye, ignoring the blurry vision. The disgust and murderous rage that had encompassed her was evident on her face, if looks could kill Jim Moriarty would be a dead man.

Jim Moriarty had always been impartial to the essence of physical 'beauty'. Of course, conventional physical beauty had been explored by him in many ways over the years. Yet, there were no persons nor scenes that could come remotely come close to the beautiful one before him. The blonde girl's face was covered In claw marks- his claw marks, dried blood drenched on her face. The sheer look of animosity in her unique eyes had him on the edge. This murderous rage on a delicate-looking person, this was beauty.

Rose watched him. The look that had possessed his face was one of…glee? She couldn't be sure. Moriarty wasn't smiling. He wasn't moving. He was simply and utterly staring at her. Then, he was crouching before her. Moriarty was doing this to intimidate her, Rose was sure of it. Once again, his face had become too close for comfort. Despite the fact that he wasn't overly tall or built with muscles like Sebastian, his presence overshadowed her (she guessed everyone) every time. It casted an evil atmosphere. He was so close that she could see his pores and she could almost dissect his pupils from his iris's. Her heart thudded against her body, begging to escape. Rose was well aware of the sweat that beaded down her forehead.

" _Say thank-you._ " The words spoken were so quiet that Rose did a double take.

Of course, he meant it. His eyes were staring into her own, waiting for the words. His face lacked in expression or emotion. Even though he was now below her, it felt as if he were too high to reach. He began to hunch his back, his face going forward. It wasn't human, not really. His eyes were devoid of anything. He leered at her. It lasted a few seconds, as if it were a transformation, then he was back to simply staring at her.

 _"Say thank-you. I just cleaned your wounds. I don't wanna risk infection, y'know, too much hassle._" The Irish drawl was calm and Moriarty's thin lips contorted themselves into a disgusted grimace. He spoke as if what he'd just said was normal.

 _Cleaned my wounds? He could go to Hell._ He belonged there. Assessing the situation, Rose realised she had one body part that she could utilise at that moment. Her mouth. All her anger and disgust formed in the small amount of saliva she could muster and in one quick flick of her tongue, it landed on Moriarty's face. The satisfaction of watching the bubbling clear liquid land a splatter onto his forehead was akin to nothing she had ever felt before.

Moriarty was as still as ever while she waited for him to do something. Seconds passed, neither of them doing anything but breathing. The liquid remained on his forehead. Rose was expecting to die any moment now. Expecting his hands to come and grab at her throat until she no longer made any sound or put up a fight. This was the time to die. Moriarty could gleam all he wanted while he took her life away from her, nothing would be as satisfying to him as that ball of spit was to her. If she was going to die, let the last image of this psychotic man with her spit upon his face he her last sight. Rose would be proud of herself for it.

Then, Moriarty laughed. Or rather, he exhaled. It was a sound of astonishment. His dark eyes had become wide with wonder and curiosity. The dark orbs peered up at her as if he were a child looking at an adult he couldn't quite understand but wanted to. The way his lips had outstretched themselves into a small smile unnerved her. She could see the smile lines as he did it. The dark pupils of his eyes continuously searched her own, as if he were searching for something he knew was there but couldn't quite find. In a swift movement he brought a piece of cloth in front of his face, wiping away at the saliva. The cloth was blue with small pinstripes adorning it. A handkerchief? _Really?_

Moriarty tossed it away onto the floor beneath him and he suddenly rose from his place. He shoved his hands into his pockets, studying her once more. By now, her skin was practically bathed in nervous sweat. The cool air fought against her senses. Rose was all-too well aware of the fact that her body was shaking.

Rose saw indents on Moriarty's jaw as he chewed… gum? What was it with him and gum? It certainly didn't stop him from being psychotic. They both stared at each other like that. Moriarty was thinking, she could tell that much. His eyes continuously wondered over the room and across her in small flickering steps. Not once did he move nor speak. His hands still remained in his pockets.

 _"Boss, the plans are ready."_

" _Good, very good. ''_

Bright light illuminated the room as a door was opened. It stung. The source of light briefly blinded Rose, she shut her eyes against it. When she re-opened them, she was thankful that it was now a warm glow due to Sebastian's large figure looming in the doorway. Unfortunately, that meant that Moriarty's face appeared all the more real. Even more of his pores were visible, the complexion of his skin less white as it were pale and even the material of his suit appeared in much more detail. Moriarty's long lashes casted a shadow down from the outer corner of his eyes. How could something so demented look like him? Rose still wasn't entirely convinced that the man wasn't being possessed by a demon.

Sebastian and Rose watched him as pulled something from his pocket, a pair of sunglasses. They looked very expensive. As he put them on, she saw how tinted the lenses were. It made him look even more soulless, if that were possible. Perhaps the most terrifying aspect about Jim Moriarty was that he looked inconceivably human. With glasses, he simply looked like another high-class businessman. Slowly, his mouth opened, revealing white gum across his tongue. While he exhaled, it became a large bubble until he quickly deflated it. His eyes never changed at all. _How dramatic was he?_

' _'Korea. Two days. Those cuffs will unlock themselves in fifteen minutes. You have access to the kitchen, lounge room and bathroom. Don't try and go any further, you'll regret it, kid.''_ Sebastian's rough voice broke her gaze with Moriarty.

Unlock themselves? Sebastian was staring at her as if he'd just said they were about to go for a trip down to a local fish and chips shop. Moriarty regarded her for a moment before spinning on his feet and then walking towards the door. He suddenly whistled low and deep for a second, it was a haunting sound, one that was trying to rile her up. It echoed against the walls of the room still. Moriarty had pulled out his phone and he was avidly texting or typing, his thumbs practically giving themselves a workout. He had stopped in his tracks by the door and his face was turned downwards.

 _''Isn't lil' Sebby Sebastian, cute? I've told him so but he doesn't seem to like it.''_ Moriarty didn't look up as he spoke the words. The last thing at that moment Rose was thinking about Sebastian was ' _cute'_.

Moriarty began to walk, the polished shoes clicking against the floor. With sudden courage and her heart leaping into her throat, Rose pushed it.

' _'What Korean are you assassinating?''_

At first she thought he'd keep on walking. Or even have Sebastian knock her out for asking. The question created a thick layer of tension in the air. Rose was quite literally on the edge of her seat. When he looked up to gaze at her, she felt a lump in her throat. In a quick movement he brought his index finger to his mouth and licked it from the base to the middle, bringing it to a 'shh' gesture. His next words burned her ears.

 _''Curiosity killed the cat, you know...'_ ' Moriarty glanced down at his phone again, seemingly distracted as he walked out of the room. The next sentence was half-yelled, half-spoken and yet it crept under her skin like no other. ''... _And you don't have nine lives!"._

* * *

 **Thank you so much for all the feedback! It is greatly appreciated and basically a motivation to continue! I'm definitely going to be focusing more so on ''calm' Moriarty being the most intimidating because,well, he is. The chapters will become darker as the fic progresses! There will be a lot more learnt about Rose as well. Thank you again and please review to keep me motivated! Thank you so much. Also; thoughts on The Final Problem? Thanks again!**


	4. Chapter 4

Waiting. That's all Rose was doing. Waiting. The seconds very slowly began to merge into minutes.

How had simply quitting her job and craving a cigarette wounded her up here? In a literal torture chamber owned by someone she didn't even know classified as human.

If only she hadn't sought a cigarette out. Rose would have been waiting at the bus stop. Perhaps a few people she may have seen smoking but only that. She wouldn't have asked for one. She would have simply sat at the stop. Maybe an elderly lady would have attempted to strike up a conversation, probably about something Rose had no interest in. Still, she would have listened and replied and falsely laughed at whatever basic joke the woman would have come up with. Perhaps she would have ran into someone she knew, not that there were many like that. Maybe a coworker who got their shift off early. Something like that. Perhaps a man or a woman may have flirted with her and she would have flirted back if they weren't completely creepy. She'd get their number but she'd toss it away just like she did most , Rose would have boarded the bus soon to be home to her crappy old flat.

Almost all of her entire life had been a string of mundane events. It was a string of boring and mundane people and situiations which always seemed to wind her right back to where she started.

For some reason as Rose waited in her chair, with lacerated wrists and an aching body, she could not bring herself to say that this entire ordeal had not been interesting. The biggest problem was that it had been interesting. Yes, she was terrified and in pain amongst other things but it had been such a change that interesting was the main word she could muster within herself to describe it all.

How did Jim Moriarty become who he was? Surely, he couldn't have been born like it, could he have? Rose tried to imagine a little boy as twisted as Moriarty was now. The thought had her closing her eyes and attempting to forget about it. Her mind wouldn't release the images of his eyes, even now, at least 8 minutes since he'd left. Why was he so eccentric? The entire personality of Moriarty was different to anyone she had ever met. It was as if he was dancing between great madness as well as calmness and the two overlapped into something terrifying. Rose wished she could downplay how powerful he really was. She wished that she could say that he wasn't dangerous, but he was. Infinitely dangerous. The only way she could justify Sebastian working for him was that he would most-likely pay more than any of his competitors in the business he was a part of; if he had any. The way he had answered her question, with a threat, had her on edge.

The person they were assassinating would have to be some sort of high-ranking official of Korea. The term 'assasination' usually wasn't used unless a person was of high importance. For example, she wondered if Moriarty would eventually have her murdered; not assassinated. She wondered how it were possible for Sebastian to simply kill someone. To take somebody's life from them. She wondered even still how Moriarty could successfully orchestrate any of it. How on Earth had he gotten away with things like this before? It seemed to come natural to him, like it was simply a game. As if it were a simple aspect of life and he was on top of all of it. Why, out of everyone in the city, did she have to be the one that ended up like this?

When the cuffs finally unlocked themselves from around her forearms and ankles, they gave away with a small electronic sound. Waterproof? Of course. _Only state of the art tech for Jim Moriarty,_ she thought scornfully. The sweat that had mingled where the cuff had touched her bare skin caused the cool air to settle upon the areas. Rose brought her arms around herself in an embrace, stroking the thin fabric of her sleeves attempting to warm herself - she immediately regretted it. Pain surged it's way through her body, each breath was painful. Biting her lip anxiously she gingerly pulled her shirt up with one hand. Now that the light was illuminating the room she could truly assess the damage. Her waist was riddled in angry purple bruises, almost appearing like a pattern that met in the middle. Rose could see the bruises of each individual finger of Moriarty's. She hated it. Red marks covered her skin. Letting go of her shirt, she peered at her wrists. The skin around the wounds were red and screaming due to the nice gesture of salt water. Though, admittedly, the wounds were quite deep enough that they ran a risk of infection. She had a feeling Moriarty would have ironically hid any form of antiseptic within his apartment, just to make it appear he was the 'good' guy who cleaned her wounds. Rose clenched her teeth as she remembered the horrible feeling of the rope burning against her skin. Even still, it was nothing compared to the salt wash.

Willing herself to move, she stepped down from the chair. God it was so cold. She allowed herself a moment to roll and stretch her legs for good measure. The last thing she needed was more pain.

Rose walked out of the room, letting the sound of her (now bare?!) feet echo. The hall that she was met with was as dark as the one before. The marble tiles were freezing against her feet and she began to jog quickly to avoid keeping them prolonged on the marble. Her movements elicited a steady tap, tap tap. As she came to the next room she realised it was the same kitchen she'd seen before. There were hardly any lights on now, they had been obviously dimmed to the lowest setting.

The giant window in the 'lounge room' if you could even call it that, now presented the breaking of a sliver of sunlight from a grey sky. The sight was breathtaking. It had Rose frozen in place as she stared at it. The buildings below the sky seemed unimportant at that moment. All her eyes were fixated on was the sky.

Rose's eyes eventually flickered around the room to see a giant and very modern looking air conditioner on.

 _"You've got to be kidding me."_

It was on. The air conditioner was on it's lowest and coolest setting. Forget murders, Moriarty was a monster just for this. No wonder the room had been cold. A plastic wall-holder held the remote for the air conditioner. Rose breathed a sigh of relief as she grabbed it pressing the 'off' button. Immediately a whirring sound she hasn't realised was occurring ceased.

The silence of the room was unsettling but even still, her eyelids were heavy. You would think that being passed out for hours would have been enough of a rest. It wasn't. Rose felt dead on her feet. Plans for escaping could be forgotten for the moment. Besides, she reasoned, they were away for two days. Sebastian had said so. Why would he bother lying about that?

The leather lounge looked awfully inviting. Rose recalled when she had pressed her foot against it to attempt to run. She remembered the way Moriarty's arm came to snake around her waist. As if on cue, the bruises suddenly hurt more as she remembered it. Sighing, Rose dragged herself to the couch. Her mind was foggy and her body ached. While she rested her head on the arm-rest, she gave in. Darkness surrounded her.

Nothing in particular awoke her. Rose blinked sleepily. For a moment, a brief moment, she believed that she had awoken in her flat on her own bed. It only took the sweat that had accumulated on her back to tell her that this wasn't so. Rose peeked out at the window to see that it was now dark once again, the lights of the buildings shone.

It kicked in her. She needed to try and leave. Now! Rose scrambled in a tumble of her small limbs off of the lounge. Her heart was racing. How had she been so groggy before that she hadn't tried to escape?

Sebastian had warned her that trying to leave was a bad idea. How would they know? Neither of them were here. As much of a dangerous man he was, Moriarty couldn't be in two places at once, surely.

Rose walked over to the hall. In one moment she stepped into the darkness. Ear-splitting wailing sounds caused her to fall to the ground. The sounds were so shrill and loud she clasped her ears to attempt to muffle the sound. Her heart was racing. The shrieks that came from her mouth were entirely drowned out by the noise. The steady rhythm of the siren was like nothing she had ever heard. It was horrible and so, so loud. She began to fumble and crawl, ignoring the pain in her sides, to get even minutely away from the sounds. As soon as her left foot left the darkness and she was no longer connected to it, the wailing ceased.

Somehow the sudden sound of silence was worse. Her heart was beating so fast she could barely breathe. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, feeling herself on the verge of crying out.

A shrill and much smaller ringing stopped her, though. It was the sound of a ringtone. It was for an iPhone, she'd heard it too many times from customers at the store who were ignoring her after their phones rang. Rose had a terrible feeling Moriarty hadn't just left his phone at the apartment and some kind person was ringing it. No, there was a reason it was ringing right after she'd triggered some sort of alarm.

Rose stop up on shaking legs and glanced around, noticing the way the lounge room was illuminated with some sort of light. Slowly, she walked close enough so that she could see it. The screen of a phone. How had she not seen it before? She supposed being so groggy could be a good enough reason. Rose swallowed a thick amount of saliva, anxiety pooling at her stomach. What would happen if she didn't answer it? Unfortunately, she wasn't ready to take the risk.

Walking over to it, hands still shaking she picked it up and stared at the caller ID. 'Daddy'. Rose let out an anguished and exasperated noise. This was awful. Slowly, she accepted it, placing it on speaker.

 _"Naughty girl. Trying to run off on me like that."_

Rose's toes curled at the Irish voice that welcomed her.

 _"…pray tell, what do you think of the decorative style of my apartment? Particularly the windowwww."_

Rose's brows furrowed in confusion. Was he being stupid on purpose? Why did it matter what she thought of a silly window? Instinctively, she glanced at it and then did a double take.

 _Oh my god._

Three distinctive red dots could be seen on her chest from the reflection of her body on the window. Every inch of her body froze. Her mind was unable to form thoughts. She was sure her blood had frozen as well. This couldn't be real. It was, though. In the back of her mind she knew it was. Rose knew Moriarty was this sick and twisted to put three individual snipers on her person. The worst part was all she could see was darkness and lights. Had it been daytime she would have been able to perhaps guess where the snipers were located. In the darkness of the night they were hidden. Which building were they located in?

 _"How's…the…the Korean?_ " The sentence was slow and unnatural coming from Rose's mouth. It was all she could think of because of the shock.

The other end of the phone was quiet. A full 10 seconds passed before he replied.

 _"Its funny really. He's utterly lost his mind! Shotguns, they're tasteless. Though, I suppose they're useful in close proximities like today…"_

Rose wasn't listening. Her eyes were focused on her reflection. The 3 red lights glared at her angrily. Her heart had now stilled to a deadly rhythm of normalcy. The heartbeats felt heavy, though. As soon as Moriarty had begun speaking her mind had drowned him out immediately. Would they shoot her? Would they shoot her in the middle of a sentence?

" _Roseeeee. I warn you. If you try to run away from me again, these snipers will shoot you down. Did you like my caller ID?"_

The absurdity of the situation finally dawned on Rose. Immediately, she began to splutter out giggles that were somewhere between laughter and crying. It was as if she wasn't entirely in her body. Like something had taken over. She continued like that for several 10's of seconds. Odd sounds coming from deep within her throat. With the laughter came the shaking of her body. Rose watched herself from within. Her reflection was smiling and laughing. It was terrifying.

" _Goodness, I thought I was insane. You look positively mad."_

Moriarty's sentence sent sudden chills down her body. Look? How did he know what she looked like. Her laughter ceased and she glanced around the room. Looking at every corner. There! A small and insignificant red dot was blinking along with a tiny…camera. He was watching her. He'd been watching her the whole time. Rose ground her teeth in frustration over her helplessness in the moment.

 _"You didn't really think I'd leave you without surveillance did you? Don't be so utterly ridiculous. Then again, pet, you are an ordinary...''_

The call was disconnected abruptly. Though Rose rationalised with herself that she should be grateful he was no longer speaking with her, the panic overrun her gratitude. The red lights on her person suddenly went out in her reflection. The setting should have been calm; it wasn't. Rose's body continued to shake and the sound of the iPhone falling onto the carpet did nothing but make it worse for her. The phone had locked itself, you see, on falling the lock screen button had been pushed. The iPhone's wallpaper was a picture of Moriarty; a selfie. His thin lips were pulled up into an an over exaggerated frown, the dark eyes he had were wide and dead. They feigned a human emotion. Rose wasn't quite sure Moriarty knew what emotions were.

It was all overwhelming. She had no doubt that that was one of the main aspects of Moriarty's _'plan'_ with her. Rose couldn't help it. She found herself in a state of utter emotional drainage.

There was a need to unleash the buried emotions in her. As if she were some sort of walking corpse, she felt her body slowly walk until it came to the room with the table and then continued on down the doorway. A bathroom. That's what she was seeking. There were only two rooms down the small welll-lit hall. Rose had no doubt Moriarty had left the lights on down this one because she was allowed in it. Entering one of the doors she found a bathroom. It was large and overly-luxurious, yet like the rest of the house, it conveyed nothing of Moriarty or his personality.

The tiles were incredibly white and shining. The room was huge, at least two times bigger than her own bedroom. In the centre a large black bath tub was placed, it matched the table. There were three sinks, each with their own faucet and space to put things. The shelf was devoid of anything, though, save for a small pack of peppermint gum that was empty. Rose came face to face with herself in the reflection of the gigantic mirror that spanned the entire wall-space for the sinks. In a moment of hopelessness her fists slammed harshly against the mirror, punching away at the hard surface. Rose felt it break beneath her, heard the sound of shattering glass. Rose yelled incomprehensive words at the slowly-disappearing glass. The tears that slid down her face weren't felt by the woman. Neither was the feeling of broken pieces sliding underneath her skin and fingernails. The bright crimson colour of blood covering her hands was barely registered by Rose. When the outburst finally stopped, sweat covered her entire body. Through the broken fragments that remained her reflection stared back at her. It was larger in some sections but she could still work out her general look.

Dark circles had formed beneath her eyes, making her face appear as if it were more skull-like than flesh. Both her green and blue eye appeared swollen and red from both the tears and the drugs. Her pale skin was now even paler- an odd grey colour washing over her. The blonde locks of her hair had small pieces of glass adorning them. Her hands and wrists were absolutely covered in blood, the scent of rust was strong. Rose looked positively crazy.

* * *

 _Incheon Airport, Korea_

 _''I don't see why I have to be here, though. You're the one who killed him.''_ Moriarty whined, grimacing as he leaned back into the leather seater. The call with Rose had just ended and now he was bored. James wanted to play.

'' _Because this is a big mission. They want to meet the man that organised it all. It's good for your business.'_ ' Sebastian quipped back, begrudgingly folding his arms across his chest and staring out of the window onto the tarmac. The muscles of his arms peeped out from underneath the plain black shirt's sleeves he adorned.

''She wanted to know how the Korean was, I told her he'd lost his mind!'' Moriarty muttered, Sebastian wasn't sure whether it was to himself or not. Moriarty's arms moved quickly in a gesture much like loading a gun and pulling the trigger. ''Bang.''

Sebastian had been left with the god-awful task of watching Rose from the laptop's monitor. The private jet boasted martini's and Italian leather 'sleep-outs', not to mention the stewardess who saw to both Moriarty and Sebastian's needs was hot. Yet, Jim Moriarty had assigned Sebastian with the task of watching his new 'pet' while they waited for one of Moriarty's high-profile clients to show. It had been an hour since the assassination had occurred. Clean and precise as usual. Fifty percent of the payment had been transferred into Moriarty's account prior to the actual assassination; though, apparently the client wished to meet the man behind the planning in person so they'd elected they would pay once they met him. Though this would seem quite odd to most, Sebastian was well-aware how often high-profile clients were eager to work on other projects with Moriarty's network.

Of course, Rose hadn't simply just zonked out on the couch the entire time. No. It had to be difficult. Sebastian genuinely couldn't tell if Moriarty had enjoyed the fact that she'd tried to escape. He was an enigma no one quite understood.

Sebastian was peering at him now. The man, if you could call him that, was staring down at the floor of the jet. There was nothing special about it, a light blue carpet. Sebastian could see the ways his eyes were flickering. Moriarty was thinking. A neutral frown had appeared on his face and his ever-so-often trimmed brows were furrowed. This wasn't good. Perhaps if they returned to Europe Moriarty would have a distraction. Sebastian had been there too many times to forget what happened when James Moriarty gets bored; he got reckless and deranged (well, even more so than per usual). Rose could be an easy distraction for a little while. Sebastian grinned as he settled into his chair. The girl was a feisty thing and Moriarty hadn't expected it, not in the least.

The thoughts of the poor girl reminded Sebastian of his current task; to be watching her.

The sniper glanced down at the laptop's monitor and his muscles tensed, he took a sharp intake of breath as he looked at the situation before him. Fuck.

' _'What?''_ Moriarty's tone was agitated and intrigued, bordering on angry.

Sebastian fumbled with the zooms to see what exactly was going on. The picture was clearer now because of the lights in the bathroom. The sniper felt the presence of Jim sauntering over to stand behind him, a flash of blue Westwood.

The camera presented a sight that had Moriarty incredibly delighted and quite frankly, aroused. The sight of the woman thrashing about, the crimson blood that seemed to lick its way up her pale flesh and hair. Rose's appearance was one of infinite innocence. An almost classic case of wide doe-eyed look and slim figure. This, this was breathtaking. Someone who looked so innocent looked like a monster, covered in blood and riddle with anger. Even through a camera lense, the woman's small body practically radiated the potential of danger.

Moriarty dug his fingernails into the back of Moran's seat, feeling the tough material depress. A slow smile crept its way up his face, the complete opposite of the hard line that had set on Rose's. An odd sound emitted itself from the back of Moriarty's throat, Sebastian couldn't be sure if it had been a gasp or a laugh.

'' _This is gonna be fun.''_

* * *

 _ **Sorry for this being a kind crap chapter and sorry its been a while since i've updated. I've just recently started a course! Please review, I love feedback! Thanks to all the reviews for the last chapter!**_


	5. Chapter 5

It was the feeling of a very light pressure against her lower half that caused Rose to stir awake. The lids of her eyes fought heavily against her awakened conscious. Beneath her, the surface was soft and comfortable. It was a mattress, she could tell that much by the way it felt. It wasn't her own bed, which had had springs digging into the back of her for months. No, this one was soft and felt like utter heaven. The mixtures of aching and stinging throughout her body were minutely soothed by the embrace of the mattress that seemed to envelope her. It was the soothing that caused her to begin to slip back to the darkness. Everything was so comfortable despite the pain. Rose found herself nuzzling the pillow her head lay upon, the skin of her far being kissed by soft silk. The darkness was all too close, grogginess was taking over. Until the long-forgotten pressure on her body shifted.

Rose's eyes popped open and her mind was soon flooded with the knowledge of what had transpired around her as of late. This was because Jim Moriarty hovered above her. His hands were splayed on either side of her waist and his face was leering. The dark eyes of his searched her face, a look of wonder had overtaken his features. Rose couldn't tell if he was mocking her or not. The uneven beating of her heart was all that she could hear as it pulsated through her ears. Fear had washed over her in a matter of seconds. What was he going to do to her?

Questions like that flooded her brain as both of them stared at each other. Rose was uncertain how far her head had sunken into the pillow behind her. The heaving of his chest through a black dress-shirt was a somewhat startling sight, it reminded her that he really was human. That he wasn't just some sort of monster. As she stared into his eyes she noticed how long his lashes were and in a ridiculous moment she find herself growing with jealousy. What is wrong with me? A 5'oclock shadow had grown across his jaw, much darker and more prominent than before. It made him look older and somehow even more dangerous.

In a quick moment he was no longer looking at her with wonder and now with resentment and purpose. _Oh no._

 _"Open your mouth."_

Rose stared straight into his eyes, furrowing her brows. The first thought she had was that she hadn't heard him correctly but then she remembered who he was. The will to knee him where it hurt overcame her once more but she wasn't going to be silly. She had a feeling that wouldn't end well at all. It occurred to her moments later he was still waiting for a reply, his head had tilted ever so slightly the way a snake's would when being charmed. This wasn't him being charmed, this was him getting angry.

 _"Take me on a date fir- AH!"_

Moriarty's hands pressed down onto her wrists in a crushing way. He had her pinned down now and as much as she hated to admit it, the bastard was hurting her.

 _"I said, open your mouth."_

Rose's jaw was clenched down. It was so hard to ignore the way that painful pressure was building on the inner sides of her wrists, knowing for sure there would be worse bruises to form from it. She could practically feel the veins depressing. Rose managed to summon the most hatred-filled glare she had ever made in her life towards him. Slowly, unsurely, Rose half-opened her mouth. Why was he asking this? Dreaded fear washed over her at the possibilities. As a slow and toothy smile formed on Moriarty's face like a cat preening, she fought the feeling of her insides shrivelling. It was a terrifying look on the man's face. One that made her incredibly uneasy.

 _"Goooood_." Moriarty purred.

His thin lips then pressed themselves to her own. That sent Rose into a state of panic. Her body began to thrash about and her arms fought with all their strength to be released from his vice grip. It took a few seconds for her to realise that he wasn't kissing her, not in the slightest. Moriarty was merely placing his mouth over hers and he was breathing in. Insane prick. His eyes fluttered closed as he inhaled, the soft sensation of lips making Rose's stomach flip. The sudden sensation of his tongue against hers caused her to jump. There was something on his tongue. It was odd in texture. A taste began to dance on her tongue as a heavier object dropped onto it. Was that peppermint? Suddenly, Moriarty leant back and promptly moved from his position above her to get off the bed. Once his feet landed his pale hands came up to his dress shirt, his fingers pulling down the hem to straighten it out.

The heavy piece of gum sat idly on her tongue. Rose's mouth had gone dry from mixture of fear and disgust. A piece of gum with magnitudes of Moriarty's saliva was sitting in her mouth. If she could move she would have been hurling. Once she glanced at his face she noticed the satisfied look that had taken over his features, he peered at her from his lashes and his mouth was twisted into a crooked smile. Moriarty wanted her to be disgusted. That was his objective.

Defiantly, instead of remaining still, Rose used her now-aching wrists to propel herself up into a sitting position with her back against the wall. In a daring act she began to chew loudly on the piece of gum, fiddling with it on her tongue. Soon it was spread evenly across the edge and in one quick moment she blew a bubble. The white looking thing grew for quite a while infront of her face until it popped, revealing Rose's smug face.

A dark look had cast itself upon Moriarty. His shoulders had begun hunched and he looked quite taller in the suit than he really was. He was glowering at her, a sight that was not very comforting despite the fact that rose was proud of herself. Then, Moriarty grinned and rubbed his thumb above his lip as if he knew a joke she didn't. He walked a few paces towards her.

" _You think you're winning, well that's interesting.''_ Moriarty's head bobbed up and down in a mocking nod, his fingers were fiddling with the bottom of his suit-jacket.

His bottom lip had stretched out in a false appreciative look. Moriarty's eyes were glancing down at the dark material between his fingers. Rose's body was shaking both in fear and pain. The events of the night before had caused glass to slide under her skin and she was paying for it now. It especially stung around her wrists and hands. There was no way to tear her eyes away from the madman in front of her, though. The silence smothered her and she had a feeling Moriarty was keeping his mouth shut (for once) just to cause her discomfort. He wanted to watch her squirm. God, she hated him.

' _'I thought of you when I watched dear Seb and that Korean. You'd enjoy it, I'm sure. So much blood._ '' Moriarty had looked up as he spoke, his eyes flickering over her figure.

While Rose was quite certain that it wasn't the reaction he wanted nor expected, she couldn't help it. A light chuckle elicited from her mouth. It sounded sweet. It sounded as if they were old friends and he'd made a funny joke. The idea of this entire situation was absurd. Thinking of her? He was lucky that he wasn't the poor Korean man himself. Anger had taken ahold of her at the idea that he was purposely attempting to unsettle her about the events of the night before. A raised eyebrow on Moriarty's part proved to her he wasn't expecting her to laugh. Then, he whined. The man himself actually whined while stamping his shoe into the carpet. It sounded like a dog that had just been kicked. It caused Rose to sink further into the wall, or at least wishing she could.

' _'I want to skinnnn you..._ '' Moriarty muttered darkly, his eyes narrowing in thought. ' _'...but oh no, no, no. You're far too livid, too entertaining. You're a pain in my rear though, my dear.''_

' _'Really? I thought that would be Sebastian_.'' The comment was innocent enough, a sly attempt to feel better about the current situation.

Oddly, Moriarty's lips turned up into a boyish grin, faint smile lines appeared below his nose. Amusement practically gleamed in his eyes as the light caught them.

' _'Seb is such a prude, though. I asked him if he wanted it, seems he doesn't._ '' He muttered, a small pout appearing on his lips as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

The man spoke as if it were a conversation that wasn't transpiring between a criminal mastermind and a girl he had kidnapped. Though, Rose had to admit, it was amusing that Moriarty had tried it on with his bodyguard; even more so that he seemed disappointed by the fact it hadn't worked. A surge of satisfaction met her as she knew Sebastian had been made uncomfortable. If only she had the ability to get her revenge on either of them.

'' _Don't worry. I'm not gay. Everyone is a distraction to me. Everyone. Even the ordinaries...''_

It was at that point that Rose hadn't realised how long she'd been actually listening to the deranged man. Glancing around, she took in the room. The bed was a king and it was extravagant. The pillows were of a black silk material, as were the blankets lined with black. The room was devoid of any true personality, merely a door that looked to be the way to an en suite. A tall, narrow table lay by the door had intricate detailings of rose's carved within it's white material. The source of light was the giant window on Moriarty's side, sunlight was flooding through to illuminate the room. The carpet was white and obviously expensive; figures.

Rose glanced over at Moriarty. It seemed he wasn't waiting for a reply. She watched his hands snake into either of his pockets. A sly smirk formed on his pale face as he turned towards the window. A low and haunting whistle sounded from his mouth, sending chills down her body. His dark eyes were illuminated by the sunlight and she could see that they were brown and not black. They searched the far-away buildings rapidly, as if trying to spot something.

'' _Did you like the little thing with the snipers? I would have had Sebastian amongst them but sooorry, Daddy gets the best.''_ As he turned towards her he offered a sheepish smile, showing her a flash of white teeth.

Anger bubbled in her blood. Rose felt her nails digging into the soft skin of her palm. It was taking every fibre of her being to not explode and attack him or even worse; run. How dare he? Oh, but he dared. He could get away with it and he knew it. That knowledge made Rose infuriated beyond no end. The fact that he had been continuing their conversation like it was normal was even more irritating. What was wrong with him?

To avoid anything rash she glanced down at her form and was immediately shocked. Her skin wasn't covered in the same blood from the night before. It was clean, well, as clean as it could be given the circumstances. Cuts and bruises had ravaged her hands and arms, it looked as if she had been holding a thousand feral cats. The bruises were beginning to become a deep purple colour, like paint on a pale canvas. Her thin wrists looked thinner than usual, the bones protruding more so. All of a sudden it occurred to her that she hadn't eaten in days. How she was still standing upright was a mystery. What she was mainly concerned with was how she had been clean. Gulping, she glanced at Moriarty who was staring at her in curiosity. They peered at each other until a faint wave of realisation shone in his dark eyes, the realisation of what she was concerned about. He let out a chuckle.

' _'Don't be silly, pet. I would never have all of that ordinary blood on my hands. Not to mention, when I got back I was wearing Tom Ford._ '' His face contorted into a look of horror at the mere idea of getting any blood on his precious suit.

' _'Never have all of that ordinary blood on my hands''._ Rose grimaced. He did, though. He had much more blood, ordinary or otherwise, on his hands. Just how many assassinations, tortures and murders had taken place under Moriarty's careful planning? It was intriguing, really. How in the dark had she been as a normal civilian? How many lies had the government covered up that had been the doings of this man?

' _'Ah, well. Daddy has things to doooo. Things to plot, people to murder. Y'know, how it goes. Care to join me?"_ The last question was spoke lowly, a dark tone to it. Though, Rose had a feeling it wasn't a question.

No. No she had no intention of joining him. What that even meant was beyond her. Rose folded her thin arms over her chest defensively, swallowing thickly as he continued to stare at her, expecting some kind of answer. The tension was thick enough to cut in the air. All of a sudden Moriarty bent his taller frame so that he was leaning over her, his head hovering just a few inches above her own. The shadows manipulated and his eyelashes caused shallow strokes to appear on the outer brims of his eyes. It was then she realised his eyes weren't dead; they were full of emotions. They whirled in a cocktail of madness. Rose had a feeling all of the emotions within them weren't comprehended by Moriarty, or even truly felt. It was as if he was keeping it all bottled up so it would fuel his insanity. Each to his own, I suppose. His breath hit against the soft skin of her face.

 _"Hull-ooo. There's a spark of that insanity I could practically smell on you. It's right thereeee."_ Moriarty's voice ended on a trailed out hum.

A pale face finger had been pointed in between her eyes. His skin wasn't touchif her, just barely. Insanity? Did he have any self awareness left within him?! Then, suddenly he tucked in his other fingers to his Palm so that his hand became a 'gun', the thumb playing as the safety. He cocked it, his face leaning down so that the tip of his nose rested upon his thumb. The new closeness allowed her to see up-close the individual black hairs that were neatly shaved along his jaw. She could pinpoint the exact start of the dark circles underneath his eyes and the small amount of wrinkles that joined them. Dark eyes swimming with madness glared at Rose from eye-level. Though she supposed staring at the 'gun' was his aim, Rose couldn't find it within herself to tear her eyes away from his own. The uneven beating of her heart was causing beads of sweaty to form on the temples of her forehead, slowly falling down to kiss her jaw. This was impossible. How did he manage to be so terrifying with the use of a childish gesture. Rose knew how. It was because that 'gun' could easily become Sebastian's weapon if she wasn't careful. It could become real. With the simple use of his 'upper-hand', her life would be over.

Slowly, Rose tipped her head forward in a half-assed nod. It was best to agree with him, for now. She'd already experienced enough of being drugged up and knocked out for a while. No matter how much she ached to slap the bastard. For a few seconds, his face didn't change and nor did his eyes. His face remained still in front of her own. They stared at each other as both of them simply breathed. That was until an extremely loud sound caused their breathing to be drowned out. It was coming from outside. Rose instinctively looked out of the window but nothing had changed. The sound only became louder and it sounded from above them. Was that a helicopter!?

 _"You see, we had to leave a verrrry important meeting to come rescue the damsel in distress. Now they've decided upon themselves to come visit meeee."_ Moriarty's mouth formed into an 'o' shape, his eyes became wide with mock surprise. The way he said 'me' was impossibly high-pitched.

Rose watched as his comical expression turned instantly into a look of boredom-or was it anger? His brows fell from their temporary lifting and his eyes became more deadly. His thin lips had formed into a straight line. As the sound of the helicopter died down to an extremely soft hum, her heart only became quicker. Meeting? Who was here? Surely, if they dared to visit someone like Jim Moriarty, they had to be dangerous-and probably as deranged as him. Dread began to ignite in the pit of her stomach. Then, a thought occurred to her and she spoke it despite her better judgement.

 _"Woudn't the rest of the building notice a helicopter landing?"_

This question elicited a feral grin.

 _"Dont be silly, I own the building."_

Of course. Why wouldn't he? Moriarty's face disappeared from infront of her and he was now walking slowly to the large door in the corner of the room. He'd somehow found the time to place a piece of gum in his mouth as she could see indents moving on his jaw. He was chewing. The helicopter's sound was now gone completely and the atmosphere felt empty without it. That meant whoever was coming had left the helicopter. Moriarty paused as his hand gripped the metal door knob. His face tilted slightly towards her, his eyes on the ground.

 _"Come along, pet. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting._ " Moriarty lazily drawled, his mouth forming into a small pout.

Moriarty's eyes had flickered back to her now, a mixture of anger and expectation within them. Now, Rose was faced with an annoying delema that she couldn't be sure was part of Moriarty's power play or not. Whoever was here was dangerous. Assuredly they had something to do with the man who was assassinated. Probably one of Moriarty's...clients. If she remained in the bedroom, not that Moriarty would probably allow her to, she didn't know whether they'd find her. God knows what they'd do. Considering she knew Moriarty was waiting for her to come with him, she decided on the safer option. Follow him and his rules, maybe she could find another way to escape. Avoiding his gaze, she awkwardly fumbled with the duvet as she stumbled out of the bed. As soon as her bare feet collided with the carpet, agonising aches shot through her entire body. Wincing, she slowly walked towards the door that Moriarty had now opened. Trailing behind, Rose felt too much like a lost puppy. Her eyes focused on his back and the way that his suit jacket seemed to be tailored exactly to his measurements. There were no streaks nor creases. As they walked she became fixated on the fact that Moriarty's head barely moved as he walked. They both weaved throughout the layout, turning down various bare hallways. That was until they came to a door. There, two men stood either side of it. Where the hell had they come from?! Both of them were dressed in sharp black suits, each with earpieces. One was tall and dark-skinned, admittedly rather handsome and the other was shorter and tanned. Neither of the pair's eyes moved towards her or Moriarty. They stood still and stared at the opposite wall. Bodyguards. Of course, Moriarty would need them. Suddenly, Moriarty stopped a few steps from the door. The silence was deafening as he didn't move an inch.

 _"After you._ " It was a low mutter and somehow it sounded like a threat.

Was he silently telling her something? She supposed to shut up. Gulping, Rose brushed past Moriarty's taller figure and opened the door. Light flooded in as she stepped inside the room. It was large and airy. A gigantic black desk, matching the rest of the furniture (shocker) was sat before a window that again had city views. As she walked in further, she noticed an in-built bookshelf on the right-side wall of the desk. So, Jim Moriarty read? Rose couldn't make out any of the titles. She pondered whether his favourite would be _"How To Plot Murders, For Dummies"._ Awkwardly, she stood in the centre of the room. Where was she to go? Behind her, Moriarty walked in and brushed past her until he was seated in a leather seat behind the desk. The sight was breathtaking and not in a good way. Moriarty looked utterly monstrous, the sunlight filtering through the window made the hollows of beneath his eyes more apparent and he looked dangerous, on the verge of insane. He gave a sheepish glance at her, raising his neat eyebrows.

 _"Welcome to my crib._ " His arms splayed out in emphasis to the room.

Rose bit on her lip to keep from smiling at the joke. The fact that he had said it in a monotone and almost bored voice made it all the more hilarious. Her smile soon died down when she remembered what he was doing and what he had done. Instead, she peered out of the window behind him, the city buildings looking so far away yet so close. If only she could give them a signal. If only anyone besides snipers were looking for her.

The sound of footsteps coming from by the door caused her heartbeat to pick up, her muscles tensed. In a quick and unjustifiable act she moved to lean against the wall beside the desk, her right leg taking the weight of her. As if she would be any safer by Moriarty's side.

In walked a man. He was of Korean origins and he was much taller than Moriarty. Noticeably older too. The man sported a very distinguished look about him with a neatly trimmed white beard and slicked hair to match. His suit was every bit as expensive-looking as Moriarty's, it was pure black in colour with a red tie. His eyes peered over the room, his gaze settling on Moriarty. The gaze was cold. In behind him came two others. A woman a few inches taller than herself, with long black hair pinned up into a pony-tail and a stern face. As well as a man who was extremely tall with pale skin, he could give Sebastian a run for his money. The pair remained behind the older man, obviously proving Rose's original thought. The man who had first entered was the one who was here to see Moriarty.

 _"James Moriarty. I was quite impressed with your work." The man's voice was deep and even._

Rose watched Moriarty, wondering what he was was thinking. He batted his eyelashes for several seconds in false amazement, as if he couldnt believe what he had just heard. A pale hand came up to his so-called heart, flattening against his chest. Sarcasm was his strong suit.

 _"Stop it, you'll make me blush."_

Moriarty didn't appear as if he were on the verge of blushing. In fact, he looked as if he were on the verge of killing someone-or having someone killed. His jaw was clenched and he was no longer chewing on the gum in his mouth. He looked positively mad. Perhaps he hadn't been expecting them as much as she'd assumed.

" _You know, I don't go in much for female body-guards. I've found they're much less willing to sleep with me to secure the job. Shame." Moriarty drawled, his Irish accent becoming thicker with each word._

Both Rose and the man stared at him in faint judgement. Moriarty noticed and shrugged his shoulders back, his gaze fixating on the now-closed door.

" _What? They're called body-guards. What's the use of them if they don't know the body they're protecting... inside and out?"_Rose felt sick to her stomach.

How anyone could sleep with him was beyond her. Not that he wasn't attractive physically, he was undoubtedly so. It was how dangerous he was. How cunning and how seemingly evil. The two men that had been guarding the door had slept with Jim Moriarty. It made her wonder whether the 'body-guards' in question ever consented to the idea. The wonder made her stomach drop. What if he decided he wanted me to sleep with him?

The Korean man was not so put-off by the statement. Rose supposed in some sick and twisted way, Moriarty had a point but not a very convincing one. The man's jaw had set ever-so slightly. He was obviously anxious to begin the 'business meeting'. He had said that he'd been very impressed with Moriarty's work. Did that mean he wanted Moriarty for other 'jobs'. The thought made her antsy. The elder man cleared his throat in an arrogant type of way.

 _"If you don't hire female body-guards, then who is she?"_

All eyes settled on Rose.

* * *

 **Bit of a longer one! Thanks so much for the reviews and follows. Please give me feedback it is greatly appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

A heavy silence settled within the room. Nobody dared speak or move as they all awaited for some sort of explanation for her presence. In all honesty, Rose was curious herself. Why was she here in this little 'business meeting'? What purpose could she possibly serve any of them? Rose had immediately noted Moriarty's change in demeanour. Where he had bothered with small 'formalities and small talk' before (this being speaking about sleeping with his bodyguards), he now looked as if he were plotting the man's murder. Truly, it did. His eyes were scanning along the man's body and not in a flirtatious way. No. It was as if Moriarty was sizing him up. Thinking about what he could possibly do to him. This was odd. Then, all of a sudden, Moriarty swallowed and chewed his gum loudly. His pale hand flicked in a dismissive way.

" _Don't acknowledge her, she's nothing but a pet, she wont bite you, unless you ruffle her feathers. Now, let's skip the dreaded formalities_. What can I do for you?" His tone took on the same that she had with customers; entirely false.

The older man bristled at the words, his eyes glaring holes into both Moriarty and Rose on separate occasions.

" _This needs to remain a secure conversation_."

" _Nothing's secure_." Moriarty smirked at Rose, his eyes trailing down he figure.

" _You're a newcomer. You perhaps are a big-shot lately, but don't forget who you're up against. "_

Moriarty's eyes became hard as he rolled them upwards from Rose until they settled on the man who'd spoken. A look of absolutely murder had taken over his features.

 _"No, no. Don't go and shout insults at me. You see, you came here to my private location...uninvited. If anything, I should be turning you into shoessss. Besides, you're the one that paid for me_." Moriarty's voice had taken on a very serious tone, his head shaking from side to side slowly. As he spoke the last sentence, his eyebrows shot up in a suggestive way.

Rose couldn't think of one situation, even between herself and Moriarty, where the tension had been as thick. Though she was as Moriarty put it an 'ordinary' she didn't fail to miss the fact that the female bodyguard had flinched at Moriarty's underlying threat. It had been a miniscule movement. The dark haired woman had shifted her weight to her left foot and her eyes had become a fraction wider, a sharp but soft intake of breath had occurred. Glancing at the male bodyguard, he appeared to look the same as he had the entire time. So why did she react differently to the way her boss was threatened? Rose's eyes remained on the woman. It seemed instead of staring blankly ahead into the void like the male bodyguard had been doing, she was staring at the back of the Korean man's head. This was interesting.

 _"Come here, Rose. That's a good girl. Walk over to Daddy_." Moriarty stood up from his seat in an elegant and energetic jump. The bottom of his suit jacket flapped up in the process. The way he said "Daddy" was low and over exaggerated.

Rose felt anger boil within her while he patted his thighs as if he were beckoning a pet dog to come towards him. His eyes were glinting with something that both excited her and terrified her to no end. It was danger. Feeling multiple pairs of eyes on her again made her skin crawl. She wished the wall would allow her to sink back into its foundations. Rose wanted to run out of the room. Unfortunately, the dangerous warning in Moriarty's dark eyes consumed her.

As if she were being enchanted, she felt herself very slowly walk over to the desk. The feeling of the Korean's man suit against her arm as she brushed passed him caused her heart to plummet. Rose found her eyes locking with Moriarty's the entire time she moved towards him. Her heart was pounding, fear practically oozing out of her. Rose knew for a fact that he didn't mean for her to stand on the Korean's side of the desk but rather his own. She figured avoiding as much of his anger or frustration as possible was key to survival in this situation.

Eventually, she found herself standing by Moriarty's side, though a few steps away. For a brief and blessed moment she felt powerful. In front of her, the Korean man and his bodyguards stood. It was as if she could imagine herself as powerful as Moriarty was. What if this was my office? What if I was able to be like him? What if I had the entire world at my fingertips? That thought caused her to snap out of it. What was she thinking? No. Rose argued with herself. No, I don't want to be anything like him. Ignoring the odd feeling of both excitement and guilt to wash over her, Rose stared unblinkingly ahead at the Korean businessman. He was staring at her in such a way as if he couldn't comprehend her existence.

The feeling of dread sparked within her as Moriarty's figure became excruciatingly closer. The man had managed to take small step without her realising. As if he were a cat sneaking up on his prey. Before she felt his presence, she heard and felt his breath against her neck. It was warm and utterly disturbing. A finger brushing over her waist caused her to instinctively flinch closer towards the desk, her hip bone knocking against it in an excruciatingly painful way. A whimper escaped her lips at the feeling of the wound beginning to form from the pressure. Her heart seemed to pound only faster and faster as his presence seemed to slowly leer in closer. It wasn't until his chin connected with the flesh of her shoulder that she realised how close he had been. Sweat trickled down from the temple of her forehead to the base of her neck. The weight of Moriarty's head resting upon her shoulder didn't relieve itself. A guttural sound came from the back of his throat as he chuckled. It wasn't a kind laugh. It was as if he were laughing about something no one else knew and he was being cocky about it.

 _"I think he likes youuuuuu_." Vibrations could be felt from Moriarty's voice box. They vibrated from her shoulder down to her wrist.

Moriarty's lips were now dangerously close to her ear. The tickling sensation of his heavy breathing and the faint chuckle that accompanied it had her trying not to flinch. His head was now tilted to the side, as if he were trying to terrify her as much as possible. Though, Rose had a feeling his eyes were on the Korean man.

 _"Pet, have I ever told you that my favourite animal is the duck_?" Moriarty asked lowly, growling into her ear. Before she could possibly make sense of his ludicrous question, the feeling of his hands forcefully tugging her down onto the carpet below them caused her to become confused.

An earth-shattering sound of breaking glass pierced painfully into Rose's eardrums. She found herself screaming but her scream was lost in the melody of broken things and the sound of something 'zipping' above her. Out of fear and shock from the sudden noise Rose had clenched her eyes shut. Her legs were splayed out awkwardly on the carpet from the way Moriarty had tugged her down. His fingers had felt like talons digging into her sides. Feeling as if she were about to have a heart attack, she placed her hand over her chest, feeling the uneven and quickly paced thumps of her heart beat. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Rose's fingernails had just dug into the carpet, the feeling of micro-hairs beneath them causing her teeth to clench together. What had just happened? Slowly, the sound of broken glass ceased.

" _NO. YOU FUCK_ -" The sound of the Korean man wailing and choking on his own breath caused Rose to perk up a bit. Wait what?

Slowly Rose opened her eyes, coming face to face with the black desk. Hesitatingly, She glanced in Moriarty's presumable position to find herself facing his pants. The black and expensive detailing obvious in the closeness of it. Above her, Moriarty stood. His face was set in stone as he looked on to the sight before him. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were as if they were on fire.

 _"I told you I don't go in much for female body guards. That statement wasn't just inclusive of my employees_." The words were like ice as he spoke them. So cold. Moriarty had said it lazily, his accent had become heavier.

Gulping, slowly Rose stood on shaking legs. The sight was gruesome. The woman's body lay on the carpet. Between her eyes a large hole appeared, blood was leaking as a steady flow of crimson down her forehead and neck. The body was lifeless. Limbs and arms were splayed every which way. The Korean man was kneeling beside her, his head in his hands. Tears sprouted from his eyes and trickled down his face, a soft and haunting wailing sound coming from the back of his throat. It was a much different sight to the man she had witnessed just moments ago.

A 'tut' sound came from Moriarty.

" _Emotional attachment. It's a real killer_." A sick grin formed on his face as he glanced down to gouge Rose's reaction.

Rose felt sick to her stomach, quite literally. The way he flashed his white teeth at her in a proud way about his actions made her look away from him and back to the dead woman. Rose had never seen a dead body before. It was rather odd. Just moments ago she had been watching the woman's reactions, noticing all of her very-much-alive traits. So, the 'emotional attachment' as Moriarty had put it went both ways. It seemed in an essence slightly unprofessional and dangerous. If the Korean man had formed such a bond with the bodyguard, why did he bring her along to somewhere such as Jim Moriarty's location? Why even bother keeping her employed? Rose didn't understand emotional attachment. No one had ever awakened it within her soul. Unless you counted Billy, her crush from when she was five. She saw others become obsessed with each other. They never seemed to have time for anything or anyone else. Rose had never been able to grasp it. Looking at the sight before her, the way the man seemed to be in absolute torture, she was glad she didn't. In this instance, it was an absolute weakness. Rose was trying to understand why she wasn't feeling any sympathy for the pair.

Then, Moriarty's hand enclosed itself around her wrist and she found herself tearing her eyes away from the sight. Rose couldn't help but wince as his hand created pressure against the lacerations and bruises. Tears threatened to well up but she gritted her teeth, choosing to use her pain to glare up at Moriarty's smug face. His perfectly trimmed eyebrow raised to create soft wrinkles on his forehead, a look of both anger and amusement danced in his dark eyes. It was odd the way he seemed to be able to have multiple contrasting emotions at once. Rose continued to glare at him, though. For all of the things that he had done to her and what he was going to do to her. She willed all of her frustration and anger into her eyes, making sure he noticed. His eyes became a fraction wider, the undeniable look of curiosity had sparked within them once more.

 _''People do get sooo attached to their pets. I know of one man that keeps his under lock and key all day and night, like a dog. Shall we entertain that idea_?'' The sentence was a warning. His eyes were expressing it, the way they seemed to attempt to penetrate every private thought of hers.

His head had tilted down, he was gazing at her through his long lashes. Moriarty was trying to intimidate her. This time it was working. Images flashed in her mind of herself in a cage or some kind of torture room like he had put her in before. Rose had no doubt he was sick enough to do so. She also had no doubt that whatever man he was speaking of surely existed. Almost immediately, Rose stopped attempting to pull away from his painful grasp around her wrist. Though her body was tense, she allowed the faint tugging of his hand to guide her to where he wanted them to go. Slowly, they began to walk towards the door. She couldnt help but glance at the dead woman again, the blood still trickled down her face. It was odd. Just like that, that woman's whole life was gone. It was curious to think about. Did the woman have enough time for herself to register that a bullet had come through the glass as soon as it happened? Did she know that her life was about to end mere milliseconds after?

The warm and unwelcomed feeling of Moriarty's left arm slinging around her shoulder caused Rose to freeze. Though Moriarty was a slim man, Rose was practically emaciated at that point. The weight of his muscled forearm dug painfully into her neck, his fingers on the other side grasping the edge of her shoulder tightly. His scent was smothering her, the mixture of cologne and peppermint becoming intoxicating. Her entire body had gone rigid from his gesture, stopping them in their tracks just before the opened door. Her heart pounded as Moriarty had stopped too, her eyes remaining on the door. He was so close that he could feel him breathing. His chest beside her, she could feel it against her arm rising and falling steadily. Rose didn't like it when she was reminded he was human; that he was physically normal. How many other people in the world were as twisted and demented as him who walked idly through crowds of 'ordinaries'?

At that thought, Rose couldn't help but glance up to his face, assuming his eyes would be on her own. They weren't. Moriarty's chin was angled towards the Korean man. Rose watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. The hairs along his jaw seemed to be growing by the minute. His hand gave a sharp squeeze around her shoulder, causing her to flinch. His dark eyes were still watching the Korean man who was continuing to sob over the woman's body. Rose could see the way the rich brown colours of his eyes were swirling in something akin to curiosity as he watched the sobbing man. It was as if he were watching a play unfold. One that he had perfectly rehearsed in his mind over and over again. The curiosity in his eyes reminded Rose of a scientist watching some sort of experiment or subject. Of course, 'ordinaries', were his main subject matter. For a brief and blessed moment Rose thought he would watch the scene play for much more time. That was until his eyes slowly flickered down to meet her own. She felt her mouth go dry at his sudden staring. Though, oddly, this time his staring didn't seem to have any real purpose. It was as if he were simply observing her as well. The sweat consistently beading above her brow was beginning to become too much. Her body was overheating due to his closeness and the danger of the situation. Thankfully, Moriarty glanced past her to look at the Korean man, his curiosity had disappeared and a look of boredom transformed in his eyes. Rose watched as Moriarty's pale neck arched as he began to speak, a neutral expression had overtaken his features.

'' _Sorry for your loss_.'' The meaning behind the words were empty.

Just like that, his arm was forcefully guiding her out of the room. The handsome bodyguard on the side of the door was missing, though the other remained. His face betrayed no emotion nor fear to the situiation that had just occured inside the room. He did however step away from his position and with one nod in Moriarty's direction, he began to walk down the hall in the opposite direction to the way they'd come in. Suddenly she was being pushed in the same direction. Gritting her teeth, she had half a mind to kick out at Moriarty's legs. Instead, she simply slowed her pace as best she could, His fingers came up to finger the back of her shirt, tugging on it as if it were a collar.

" _Off you pop_." Moriarty sang, giving her body an extra push for good measure with his hand now against her back.

His hand remained there as they walked. His chest was so close to her back that she found herself brushing against him multiple times. Rose followed the bodyguard, they weaved their way through various halls until the bodyguard went through a door. It entered into a foyer of sorts. The sound of Moriarty's shoes clicking against the marble flooring as they walked only reminded her of how close he was. Two golden elevator doors were at the end of it. A soft 'ding' sounded as they opened. The bodyguard stood aside it, staring straight ahead in the direction of them. Rose gulped as she entered it. It was certainly luxourious. It was large enough to be a bathroom. The walls, instead of metal, were large mirrors. Her own reflection stared back at her. Behind it, Moriarty's stood, his eyes hard and focused on the top of her head. He was at least a few inches taller than a quick second, his reflection's eyes flickered down to meet her own. His jaw began to move as he chewed the gum in his mouth, his expression was full of boredom. Rose felt frozen on the spot. The door's behind Moriarty's reflection closed yet his hand still remained on her back. Why hadn't the bodyguard come with them? Rose arched an eyebrow as she pondered this. Music played within the elevator, a mindless tune.

" _If you didn't notice that male bodyguard disappeared when the lover was shot. Two birds one stone and all that.._ " Moriarty's voice was oddly soft and almost unrecognisable.

It was almost as if he were muttering to himself. The only reason she knew he was addressing her was because his eyes hadn't left her own through the mirror. Why he hadn't turned them around to face the doors was beyond her.

 _"It was stupid of him to bring her along if he didn't want her...harmed_." The statement from Rose's mouth was hoarse and cracked on various syllables.

Why did I speak? Why did I speak? Why did I bring it up? Moriarty's eyes fluttered closed for a few moments, a smile that seemed to appear almost painful for him transformed across his face before it disappeared, a straight line appearing.

 _"Yes, well. It's quite funny, the little things you ordinaries do when you like one another_." He mused, his eyes trailing up towards the ceiling as he seemed to think about something or another.

Rose chose to remain silent after that. Ordinaries. Before that little ordeal, she hadn't really considered the Korean man ordinary. But that was only because he had appeared dangerous. Moriarty seemed to refer it to people who weren't like him. She wondered how smart he really was. Though, admittedly, not many non-intelligent people couldn't pull off being someone who was consulted to find and hire people to commit crimes. Assassinations at that.

Eventually, the doors finally opened. Immediately, Moriarty spun them around so that they were headed out. An enormous foyer invited them, complete with marble flooring and open plan windows. Unlike most hotels, there was no reception area. Because Moriarty owned the building. Who else lived in this gigantic place then? Rose wouldn't doubt if only Moriarty himself lived there, he was that eccentric.

They were soon out of the buildings and onto the emptying street, save for a massive black limousine parked conveniently just in front of the building. Sebastian stood in front of it, his muscled arms were folded across his chest. Once he spotted them, he opened one of the back doors. From what Rose could see black leather seats lined inside of it. Moriarty's insisting hand on her back was beginning to annoy her.

 _"After you_." He muttered, pressing her so hard she half-expected to fall right into the car.

With cheeks blazing, she crawled into the car awkwardly, well aware that he backside was on display as she did so. The squeaking of leather against her knees did nothing but make her blush heavier. Eventually, she managed to clammer her way to the end of the five-seater, directly next to the other door. Her face was on fire as Moriarty slid much more elegantly in. Rose thanked the heavens that he left as much distance as possible between them, choosing to sit next to the other door. This allowed her some room to breathe as her heart hammered. The door was slammed shut beside Moriarty. A black screen covered the space between the driver's seat and the first part of the limo that they occupied. As the car started and began to move, a silence settled in.

The silence was deafening. Anxiety had built up within her. Even though there was much more space between the two, Rose couldnt help but think this was far more awkward. Being in a small enclosed area that had almost no exit was terrifying her. Not to mention that she had no idea where Sebastian's was driving. Rose kept her eyes on the window, which had been surprisingly easy to peer out of despite the fact that they had been heavily tinted from the outside. A constant pattern of cars drove passed them. Some children occasionally pointed at the limo and adults gawked, she probably would have done the same given different conditions. After a while, the silence became deafening. Moriarty hadn't moved, save only for once, when he had taken his phone from his pocket. Rose had watched him from the corner of her eye. He was a blur of pale hands and a dark suit. The only sound besides the faint hum of the engine that Rose could hear was Jim's fingers constantly tapping against his phone screen. Somehow it was odd to her that someone like him had a phone. Rose couldn't imagine trying to text the man. She had a feeling it would be rather comical.

Eventually, Rose's rigid body had become stiff and her wounds hurt more than ever. She realised after a while that it was unlikely Moriarty was going to spring anything on her. He had no time for it. They were currently relocating somewhere else and his phone didn't seem to want to be quiet. So, Rose closed her eyes, mostly from mental exhaustion. The leather seat was incredibly comfortable. Eventually, her body began to fight against her mind until it relaxed somewhat. The soft and re-occurring melody of Moriarty's fingers tapping against his phone put her slowly to sleep, as if it were some sort of twisted lullaby. As the darkness began to embrace her, she tried not to think about the fact that he was probably organising crimes, big ones at that.

A bright flash of white interrupted her sleep. As she opened her eyes out of fright the light blinded her. The brightness of it stung her eyes and she winced at it, blinking away the pain as the brightness dimmed. Blurry shapes invaded her eyes. Soon, they'd began to clear into recognisable objects.. A phone screen was suddenly infront of her face, it displayed anincredibly unflattering picture of herself sleeping. Rose's head was lulled to the side, her long blonde hair a frightful mess. The fading claw marks from Moriarty's fingernails were only highlighted from the flash. The sight sent shivers down her body because she knew just who had taken it. The screen removed itself and instead, she was met with Moriarty smirking ear-to-ear. His pale face was pointed downward, looking at the phone in his hands. His dark eyes danced with a sick delight and amusement as he looked up.

 _"Aren't pictures of sleeping pets just ad-or-ab-le?"_


End file.
